Raiders trade Rodney Hudson, sign Solomon Thomas on active day

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 6:15 p.m.

The first official day of NFL free agency following a legal tampering period to start the week provided clarity on the Raiders’ future, particularly up front.

The puzzle pieces, as Raiders general manager Mike Mayock has called the team’s roster situation, have been shifted the most along the offensive and defensive lines. One of the biggest ones wound up in an unexpected place.

After reports of the imminent release of Pro Bowl center and team captain Rodney Hudson spread yesterday, the Raiders instead traded him to the Arizona Cardinals and recouped a third-round pick in next month’s draft in a move first reported by ESPN. That means, with the trade of right tackle Trent Brown last week, both of Las Vegas’ highest-paid offensive linemen from last season are now departed.

But the unit is undergoing a complete overhaul. The Raiders made a pair of less headline-worthy moves on Wednesday on the offensive line, resigning guards Denzelle Good and Richie Incognito.

Good came into the season as a backup but ended up starting 14 games at a variety of positions because of injury. He’ll seemingly have the inside track on the right guard slot this training camp with competition from John Simpson, a fourth-round pick last season.

Incognito, meanwhile, will be penciled in as the starter at left guard for another season after announcing his return on social media. He started two games last season before an Achilles injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.

He was reportedly notified of his release last week, but the Raiders were apparently able to come to a reworked agreement with the 37-year-old who had one of the best seasons of his career when he joined the franchise in 2019.

Las Vegas will still have more work to do on the offensive line throughout the rest of free agency or in the draft. Kolton Miller is entrenched at left tackle, but former undrafted free agent Andre James is the top center option at the moment.

The defensive-line picture has come together more clearly as the franchise made a pair of veteran signings, Solomon Thomas and Quinton Jefferson, to bolster its depth. The Raiders also agreed to terms with Johnathan Hankins to return on a one-year deal, according to The Athletic.

Hankins should start in the middle for the fourth straight year but Thomas should become part of the rotation. Taken third overall in the 2017 draft, Thomas was seen as an interior pass-rusher out of Stanford but hasn’t yet lived up to his potential in the NFL.

The Raiders pride themselves on reclamation projects and Thomas fits the profile. Jefferson is looking less for redemption and more for playing time after emerging as solid edge-rushing option in four NFL seasons split between the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.

He was a college teammate of Yannick Ngakoue, who remains the Raiders’ biggest signing this offseason, at Maryland. The pair of edge-rush signings hint that Las Vegas may intend to use defensive end and former No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell more frequently in the interior for the second straight season, especially on passing downs.

Ferrell put on weight before last season and arguably played some of his best snaps lining up inside. Las Vegas’ lack of a pass rush has been one of its biggest issues for a decade now, and Mayock appears determined to solve it — even if it’s at the detriment of the offensive line.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.