The Las Vegas Raiders defense is playing its best football of the season after giving up 18 combined points over the last two games. The Raiders have the second-cheapest defense in the NFL, per Spotrac, so the group is overachieving.
However, the team could still upgrade in the secondary. In a post about players the Raiders “must consider” cutting after the 2023 season, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes the team should move on from starting safety Marcus Epps.
“Epps has an identical PFF grade to last season at just 56.6. Through 10 games, Epps has just one pass defended and no interceptions,” Ballentine wrote in a November 15 column.
“Much of Epps’ $7.3 million cap hit is not guaranteed. The Raiders would save $3.4 million by releasing him this offseason. With a new general manager taking over and looking to bring in his own free agents, that might be too good to pass up.”
Epps was signed for a two-year, $12 million contract by former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler last offseason. He’s developed into a team leader and was named a team captain. However, he has yet to make an impact in coverage and has one pass deflected and no interceptions this season.
Whoever the next general manager and head coach is may prefer a safety that brings more to coverage.
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