‘Splash’ Trade Proposal Adds Montez Sweat to Raiders

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Washington Commanders DE Montez Sweat.

The Las Vegas Raiders are weeks into free agency and still have needs all over the defense. With the current moves the team has made, it’s difficult to see if the defense has been upgraded over last year. The team still has the draft to improve that side of the ball but there are also other moves Las Vegas could make.

The biggest area the Raiders need to upgrade is their pass rush. The team had the third-fewest sacks in the NFL last season. Defensive end Maxx Crosby is one of the top pass rushers in the league but he needs help. Chandler Jones was supposed to provide it for him but that wasn’t the case in 2022. There could be a trade out there the team could make to pair Crosby with a younger pass rusher. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report floated a “splash” trade idea that would send Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat to Las Vegas. The Raiders would swap the No. 7 pick for Washington’s No. 16 pick and send them a second-round pick:

Let’s get wild.

The Raiders attempted to create a superteam of outside pass-rushers when they signed Chandler Jones to pair with Maxx Crosby. That move has not worked out to this point.

Trading for Montez Sweat would rectify that and give them an answer on the edge for years to come. While Jones is 33, Sweat is seven years younger and has 29 sacks over his first four seasons in the NFL.

Steep Price for Expiring Contract

Sweat is just 26 years old and was part of the same 2019 draft class that Crosby was. He had 8.0 sacks last season and would be a solid complement for Crosby. However, what Ballentine is pitching would be a steep price. Sweat is on an expiring contract in 2023 and is likely looking to get paid next year.

If he comes to the Raiders and plays well, he’s going to demand big money in free agency. Las Vegas giving up a top-10 pick and an early second-round pick for the right to pay Sweat seems like a steep price to pay. He’s not a dominant enough player to warrant that steep of a price. Perhaps not doing the first-round pick swap and only sending Washington a second-round pick for Sweat would be a worthwhile deal for Las Vegas.

Dave Ziegler Addresses Defensive Moves

The Raiders have been more patient this offseason when it comes to trying to upgrade the defense. The team wasn’t able to add any of the big-name free agent defensive players. However, they have addressed their depth. General manager Dave Ziegler recently had a chance to discuss his philosophy in free agency this offseason.

“There’s various things that we outlined that we needed to address in free agency,” Ziegler told Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “Every move plays off another move, you know? So, ultimately on the defensive side of the ball, yeah it was more about finding some young players that fit the traits that we value and that we think we needed to add to the team, and we did that in a couple areas.”

Las Vegas will need to have a good draft if they hope to see major improvement on defense.