The Las Vegas Raiders‘ Week 9 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars will likely inform how the team will act at the trade deadline. Had they won, it’s feasible that they would’ve considered trying to add players to make a late-season push.
However, the loss dropped the team to 2-6, which makes them a long shot to even get in the playoff mix. It’s more likely now that the Raiders end up being sellers at the deadline, but it sounds like they may have had their eye on one player.
Offensive lineman Evan Neal was highly touted coming out of Alabama and was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants in 2022. Unfortunately, injuries have derailed his career, and he’s fallen completely out of the Giants’ offensive line rotation. He has yet to play a game this season and is clearly on his way out, but he might be able to find new life at the deadline.
According to Exhibit News’ Josina Anderson, the Raiders have reached out to the Giants about Neal.
“One team the Giants had exploratory trade talks on regarding G Evan Neal was the Raiders,” Anderson wrote on X. “This occurred about one and a half, to two weeks ago, per league source. Evidently, it didn’t lead to urgent action, at said time. Nonetheless, it’s insight on who’s been inquiring….”
Should Raiders Trade for Neal?
It’s easy to look at the fact that Neal was a top-10 draft pick just a few years ago and get excited about his potential. However, the former Alabama star has not played well at the NFL level.
He can’t stay healthy and hasn’t looked great when he’s on the field. The Giants have had terrible offensive line play for years, so the fact that he can’t get any reps suggests that the team doesn’t think he’s very good.
There was even talk of him switching to guard, but the Giants haven’t played him, so it’s hard to know where he’d play. That said, he was a top-10 pick for a reason. It’s difficult to get better as an offensive lineman without reps. Perhaps there’s still some potential there. If the Raiders were to trade for him, it’s unlikely it would cost them much of anything. It’s not a move that moves the needle for the Raiders, but it also wouldn’t be a big risk.
Raiders Should Focus on Players That They Have
The Raiders have two third-round pick offensive linemen who haven’t gotten on the field much in Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers. If the team is thinking about giving reps to young offensive linemen, it should start with one of those two.
The offensive line played well against a solid Jaguars defense in Week 9, so it is hard to imagine they make any big moves right now, but Grant and Rogers should get a chance to play at some point this season. If either ends up being an impact player, that could give the Raiders more flexibility when the 2026 NFL Draft comes around.
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