Raiders Free Agent Targets: Carlos Dunlap

The veteran edge rusher could be a good depth piece for the Las Vegas Raiders.

As Super Bowl LVII concludes, signaling the end of the 2022-23 NFL season, every league team will enter off-season mode.

This includes the Las Vegas Raiders, who are looking to re-tool their roster after a disappointing season that saw them finish with a 6-11 record. They enter an off-season full of uncertainty and question marks.

One area General Manager Dave Ziegler must improve is defense. The Raiders had one of the worst defenses in the NFL in all phases, including the pass rush. While Maxx Crosby had an excellent season, the Raiders finished third-worst in the NFL in sacks with only 27.

The Raiders need to add depth off the edge, and one player who can help them in that regard is Kansas City Chiefs defensive end, Carlos Dunlap. After signing with the Chiefs in July, Dunlap had a solid season as a rotational edge defender for the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. 

Let’s look at Dunlap’s career and see if he could be an option for Silver and Black.

Dunlap was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals out of the University of Florida. He spent 11 years with the Bengals before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Dunlap played well for Seattle but was released after the 2021 season.

This past season with the Chiefs, Dunlap played a rotational role, posting 24 tackles, six tackles for losses, and four sacks. In his 13-year career, he has recorded 578 tackles, 267 quarterback hits, 123 tackles for losses, and 100 sacks.

The two-time Pro Bowler is 33 years old and in the twilight of his career, but he can still provide some solid play as a depth piece off the edge. The Raiders have Crosby and Chandler Jones as the starting defensive ends but will need some help from the guys behind them on the depth chart.

Dunlap still has some good play left in the tank, and Ziegler could be interested in bringing him in on a short-term deal to provide a spark for the Raiders’ defense.

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During that time, starting at 12 p.m. EDT on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EDT on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m EDT on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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