Raiders land Barnes, open up options in draft

By Brad Wilbricht  |   Monday, March 16, 2009  |  Comments( 16 )

Oakland Raiders
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In a stark comparison to recent memory, the Oakland Raiders continued a stellar offseason with the signing of free agent offensive lineman Khalif Barnes -- who instantly upgrades the team's line and allows it to focus elsewhere in the upcoming NFL draft.

The addition of Barnes not only shores up Oakland’s offensive line, it enables Al Davis and company to select the best available player at No. 7 overall while also filling an immediate need.

Barnes played in 60 games (57 starts) during his five years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. His arrival in the Bay Area allows Robert Gallery to complete his transition to left guard and enables Mario Henderson to move into a backup role. Depending on how training camp plays out, Barnes could play either left or right tackle. As of right now, Cornell Green is slated as the RT.

Oakland was able to sign Barnes to just a one-year contract, bucking the trend of the Raiders awarding lucrative multiyear deals with large sums of guaranteed money. The move confirms the notion that Oakland has done a complete 180 in the front office and is now making intelligent decisions in regards to new player contracts.

With the seventh pick in the draft, the Raiders have a plethora of options. There has been chatter that All-America wideout Michael Crabtree, an ex-Texas Tech star, could drop further than expected and Oakland may be in line to acquire his services. If Crabtree is gone, the Raiders could tap into an extremely deep crop of defensive ends. If all else fails, they could continue to build along the offensive line (there are several top-tier tackles available).

Oakland has invested a great deal in offensive playmakers like quarterback JaMarcus Russell and running back Darren McFadden. Trotting out an average offensive line would offset the talents of Russell, McFadden and the other weapons around them. The addition of Barnes proves the Raiders are committed to a comprehensive turnaround, and that looks to be happening sooner rather than later.
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About Brad Wilbricht

Brad Wilbricht covers numerous sporting events including the NFL, NFL Draft and college football. His analysis is simulcast through several media outlets across the country. Additionally, Brad is a regular guest on a variety of talk radio shows and can be frequently heard on the airwaves. To...
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CommentsComments: 16  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
DocsRaiders		10:13 AM
03/16/2009
"and enables Mario Henderson to move into a backup role." WTF? Move Mario into a backup role?? No, Mario starts at RT if Barnes...
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No.2
svduran1		10:39 AM
03/16/2009
Raiders moving forward in an intellegent manner seems to be the general consensis around the league. One little bit of extra...
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No.3
svduran1		10:48 AM
03/16/2009
Lame Kiffin still crying, "Kiffin will give a deposition next week for the grievance he filed against the Silver & Black in which...
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