With free agency under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ defensive tackle position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Jerry Tillery, ?
Backups: Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera, Marquan McCall
Free Agents: Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler, John Jenkins
The past two drafts the Raiders have used four draft picks on the defensive tackle position and have little to show for it. They got no starters out of it and one of the four (Young) was on the active roster all of last season. Veterans Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins started every game last season with Jerry Tillery appearing in all 17 games, starting six.
Condition: Critical
Three of the four interior defensive lineman who were regular parts in the rotation last season are set to be free agents. Only Tillery remains and he wasn’t even a regular starter due to his deficiencies against the run. Adam Butler played well enough to earn a return. If they bring him back, they would still need to add one more talented interior lineman. If they don’t, they would need a couple.