Raiders Urged to Poach ‘Muscled’ 24-Year-Old Nose Tackle
No doubt, there is a change in the approach and results we’ve seen from Las Vegas in the past two weeks, with wins over the Giants followed by a win over the Jets. But there’s also no doubt that, with a tougher schedule looming, the Raiders need to tighten up their ship even more if they are to make a playoff push—and thus, the Raiders rumor mill remains cranking, even after the team’s recent changes.
And one area that could use some attention is the continued development of young players under Antonio Pierce, who has made much of his post-playing career working with young players, first as a high-school coach in Long Beach, California, then as a college coach at Arizona State.
With that in mind, the staff at Bleacher Report has an ideal player for Pierce and the Raiders to bring in and guide: nose tackle Tommy Togiai, currently on the Browns practice squad. As a 24-year-old fourth-round pick from 2021, Togiai has the kind of upside that should interest the Raiders.
Raiders Rumors: Tommy Togiai Can Be Developed
Togiai has talent, and when he was coming out of Ohio State three years ago, he was ranked as the No. 4 defensive lineman on the board, and the second lineman in terms of athleticism. Like so many Buckeyes linemen, he is known for his strength building, and his pre-draft bio at NFL.com noted that he has, “Dense, thickly muscled arms.”
But he disappointed in two seasons with the Browns, playing 12 games last year, for a total of 220 snaps, or 30% of the total defensive snaps in Cleveland. He was having a good training camp but was still released on cut-down day this summer. The Jaguars picked him up, but when Jacksonville waived him, too, Togiai signed back to the Browns practice squad.
“Togiai is on the Browns’ practice squad and hasn’t been called up after playing 12 games for them last season. He would be worth signing to the active roster to see what he and (rookie) Nesta Jade Silvera could do on the interior,” B/R’s staff report suggested.
Raiders Facing DL Free-Agent Exodus in 2024
The Raiders have two potential problems with their defensive front this season. The first is that they have not played well consistently, though that has changed since Josh McDaniels was fired and Pierce took over. The pass rush has been good, with an overall grade of 77.7 from Pro Football Focus. That’s eighth in the NFL. The rush defense has also improved, but it ranks 12th with a 68.5 grade from PFF.
The other problem that has Raiders rumors pointing toward a potential D-line addition is that they’re packed with free agents. Three of the four players who are in the Raiders’ interior line rotation will need new contracts next year. It behooves the team to develop some of their own.
