Bill Williamson, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

How franchise tag deadline could affect Raiders

Monday was the deadline for NFL teams to put the franchise tag on players in preparation for free agency when it starts March 10.

Monday’s tags shouldn’t affect the Raiders’ plans too much. Nothing unexpected occurred. Yes, Oakland could use receiver Dez Bryant (Dallas) and Demaryius Thomas (Denver) and pass-rushers Justin Houston (Kansas City) and Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants), who all got franchised Monday. But there are also plenty of potential Raiders’ targets who were not given the franchise tag.

Potential Oakland free-agent targets who were not tagged Monday include Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, Green Bay receiver Randall Cobb, Philadelphia receiver Jeremy Maclin, Denver tight end Julius Thomas, Cleveland tight end Jordan Cameron and Buffalo pass-rusher Jerry Hughes.

Oakland is currently set to have about $61 million (it could grow with more cuts) in cap room and it is expected to be aggressive on the open market. In the above group, I’d think Suh, Cobb and Hughes all could be realistic targets for Oakland. All of these players will cost a mint, but the Raiders have the resources and now that these players weren’t tagged, they should get the chance to strike unless the players get a deal done with their respective teams in the next eight days.

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