The first good look at the Raiders team building

Free agency will give us the path Antonio Pierce, Tom Telesco have for Las Vegas

Both Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco spent ample time in front of a podium, in front of a microphone and cameras, and other media engagements the past few weeks. The Las Vegas Raiders head coach and general manager, respectively, did so to fulfill both NFL requirements and team engagements.

Pierce dropped the “Ill intent. Violence. Physicality. Pain.” line during his media tour — the same quote he provided after his Raiders toppled the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Telesco meanwhile, was guarded, dropping little dimes here and there, all the while giving off the “new guy” vibes.

While there will always be plenty of time for talk, action is springing upon an eager fan base, soon. The new league year is upon us as it officially begins on March 13. However, NFL teams can embark on the legal tampering period two days before that, this coming Monday. That’s when flurries of talks between free agents and interested teams begins and we’ll start seeing news of the principles of a deal all situated. “Official” word of signings will arrive shortly after the 1 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time) mark on the 13th. From March 11-13, Raider Nation will be given a first good look at the team building both Telesco and Pierce have in mind for the Silver & Black.

Las Vegas gave us a little peak at the Telesco-Pierce blueprint when the team re-signed veteran running back Ameer Abdullah on Friday afternoon. Abdullah represents an in-house unrestricted free agent the team brought back into the fold — before players and teams engage in talks this coming Monday.

Will there be more? We’ll find out soon.

Telesco did note at the NFL Combine he’d like to establish a philosophy that the Raiders like to re-sign their own. The biggest name on Las Vegas’ in-house free agent list is tailback Josh Jacobs. He has potential to get a handsome pay day if he hits the open market and what Telesco and Pierce decide to do with No. 8 determines the trajectory of the team.

Jacobs embodies the ill intent, violent, and physical style Pierce wants out of his Raiders. But is paying a running back north of $10 million per year a fiscally sound move for an NFL team in this day and age? Currently, there are only five tailbacks raking in an average salary over that number — the San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey ($16.015 million), the New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara ($15 million), the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor ($14 million), the Cleveland Browns’ Nick Chubb ($12.2 million), and the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones ($12 million).

Whether Jacobs remains in Silver & Black or moves on alters the trajectory of the Raiders cap space and philosophy. Las Vegas does have running back Zamir White waiting in the wings but can the team bank on him being the power component to Luke Getsy’s offensive scheme? Telesco spoke openly about needing a stable of backs and Las Vegas may be rolling with a by-committee approach instead of one true workhorse lead running back.

Big Spenders?

Just how involved the Raiders will be in the sprint to spend coin in free agency will be intriguing to watch. In normal circumstances, Telesco subscribes to build via the draft, supplement via free agency mantra. But he readily admits this isn’t a routine excursion with him and Pierce at the helm of the Raiders.

“It’s a whole new regime as far as coaches and GMs and there’s some things we need to do to get up and running. So, we may have to use free agency a little more this year than typically I would like, but it’s going to be part of the process,” Telesco noted.

But he added some caution to that statement.

“Unfortunately, the success rate isn’t that high in football when you change teams as a free agent,” he added. “Very few of those guys even finish their contracts. You’ve got to be very cautious with it and spend the money wisely.”

One could simply look at one of the final free agent splashes he made as the Los Angeles Chargers general manager — inking cornerback J.C. Jackson to a rich five-year, $82.5 million deal that flopped hard — as Exhibit A of caution.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Inside Out

Pierce left no ambiguity to how he and Telesco seek to build the Raiders:

“We want to build this team inside out, and I would love to get some bad-ass dudes — heavy-handed and physical,” Pierce said during a media scrum at the combine.

What the Raiders do and don’t do to fortify the trenches — both offensive and defensive lines — in free agency will have reverberating effects that stretch to the draft and after. And this isn’t relegated to high-priced free agents like defensive tackles Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs) or Christian Wilkins (Miami Dolphins) and offensive linemen like Mike Onwenu (New England Patriots) or Lloyd Cushenberry (Denver Broncos). It also spans Las Vegas in-house free agents like John Jenkins, Adam Butler, Andre James, and Jermaine Eluemunor.

Pierce is keen on how vital the offensive line is and that’s a group that may see major flux with James, Eluemunor, and Greg Van Roten as unrestricted free agents.

“To me, I would like to build this team — I think me and Telesco see it the same way — in the trenches,” Pierce said. “We can go and get skill guys and get the quarterback but, hell, if nobody’s blocking for ’em, what does it matter? I would love to see us really be sound up front.

“And I know it’s free agency and you don’t know who’s going to come back and go, but whoever we put in those places, man, that’s going to be the mindset.”

Pierce hit nail on head with that one. What good will paying Jacobs and signing or drafting a quarterback to compete with incumbent Aidan O’Connell for the starting gig truly be if the offensive line isn’t up to snuff? Ditto for the defensive line: How could can Patrick Graham’s unit be without quality talent on the interior at defensive tackle?

These questions will be answered soon enough.