The NFL trade deadline is just around the corner, and as expected, trade rumors are dominating the newsfeed. The Oakland Raiders, a team that entered the season with so much hype, are in major need of help in their secondary defense.

Oakland has yet to record an interception after five games into the season. Unfortunately, Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers will once again test the mettle of the Raiders secondary because they are going to face one of the league’s top passers in quarterback, Phillip Rivers.

Problem-fixing trade

Although there’s still enough time for the Raiders to tweak their secondary defense, NFL analyst Jeff Smith of 247 Sports provided a quick fix to the problem.

He believes a trade for New York Giants cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, will be a major boost to the Raiders’ ailing defensive backs. The trade requires some moving parts to get done but as Smith explained, the hypothetical trade is possible.

“As Spotrac breaks down, Rodgers-Cromartie is in the second-to-last year of his current contract, which comes with a cap hit of $9 million this season. Next year, his cap hit drops to $8.5 million, and the team could release him with just $2 million in dead cap. Based on his big salary, it may be tough to swing for the Raiders,” Smith noted.

The New York Giants suspended Rodgers-Cromartie indefinitely after the cornerback engaged in a heated argument with head coach Ben McAdoo.

At 31, the veteran corner is still an elite backfield defender coming off a solid 2016 season, in which he recorded 49 tackles, 21 defended passes, and six interceptions.

Confident with signal-callers

Albert Breer of MMQB, via Pro Football Rumors, revealed that the Raiders didn’t give real thought to signing Colin Kaepernick.

In fact, the idea of signing a stopgap quarterback following Derek Carr’s injury never crossed Reggie McKenzie’s mind. Kaepernick, who helped take the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl several years ago, remains a free-agent heading into week No. 6 of 2017 NFL season.

“The Raiders didn’t give much consideration at all to signing a stopgap quarterback in the wake of Derek Carr’s injury, That could have been a deliberate move to keep the team’s confidence high, but he hears that the Raiders legitimately like what they have in EJ Manuel and Connor Cook,” wrote Pro Football Rumors.

The Raiders dropped their last three games (against the Redskins, Broncos, and Ravens) after a 2-0 start. Carr already covered 753 yards on 74-of-109 with seven touchdowns in the season. Raiders offensive coordinator, Todd Downing, was pleased with Carr’s progress in practice the last two days despite missing Wednesday’s go-around. With this development, many people expect Carr to make his return on Sunday against the Chargers.

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