Silver Minings: PFF suggests more Patriots could be coming to Las Vegas

This isn’t groundbreaking news by any means as several people have suggested that the Las Vegas Raiders might bring in a few former New England Patriots this offseason after the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler as their head coach and general manager.

The “Patriot way” or system has always been an integral part of New England’s success so bringing players in who understand and are familiar with the playbook and mentality wouldn’t be a bad idea for McDaniels and Ziegler, both of whom came from said organization.

But what might make these rumors more concrete is Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, who covered the Patriots from 2011 to 2021, was recently asked about how the Raiders might attack this offseason and had this to say:

The Raiders hired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler from the New England Patriots and also brought over offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, quarterback coach Bo Hardegree and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo from New England. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and senior defensive assistant Rob Ryan also spent time in New England. They all join Raiders assistant director of player personnel DuJuan Daniels, who also spent years as a scout with the Patriots.

So, how will they attack free agency? The most likely answer is that they’ll try to bring aboard guys they’re familiar with.

The Patriots’ top free agents are:

S Devin McCourty

T Trent Brown

LB Dont’a Hightower

LB Jamie Collins

CB JC Jackson

G/C Ted Karras

ST Matthew Slater

RB James White

RB Brandon Bolden

QB Brian Hoyer

McCourty and Jackson are the two defensive backs from the list above that stand out to me, however, the former will turn 35-years-old in August and the latter might end up being outside of Las Vegas’ price range.

While a lot of Raider fans won’t like to hear it, the Raiders could use a right tackle and Trent Brown is a good one, when motivated. The end of that sentence is the problem, but who knows, maybe Brown has a strong relationship with McDaniels and that’s enough to keep him in shape. Ted Karras would also be a quality option at guard for the Silver and Black, so New England could have a couple of castaways in the trenches who could migrate to the desert.

Kyed later goes on to talk about the draft, stating:

“I believe the Raiders will look at similar prospects as the Patriots, as well. Wide receiver, cornerback, defensive tackle and linebacker are the Raiders’ top needs. While the Patriots have not drafted well at wide receiver, McDaniels and Ziegler were able to select Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker in 2010. That’s a promising sign as the Raiders look to add weapons for quarterback Derek Carr.”

Finding a wideout like either Thomas or Decker would be a huge win for the Raiders, and Zeigler and Co. got a second-round gem in defensive tackle Christian Barmore last year. In other words, there's plenty of reason for optimism with the new regime.

In other Raiders links:

• McDaniels sits down with The 33rd Team: the Raiders' new head coach did one of his first interviews as the man in charge for the Silver and Black and talked about all the changes he’s experienced.
• DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M scouting report: a defensive tackle that Las Vegas should be looking at with their second-round pick of the draft.
• Raiders sign offensive lineman: Jordan Meredith joins the Silver and Black after a stint in training camp with the Rams, per Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore.
• Versatility key for Raiders defense in 2022: There are quality pieces in place for new Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, pens Ray Aspuria.