This is another one of the Raiders’ weird signings of 30+ year old players (currently 5 starters on defense are 30+). As I’ve said, this is a weird approach for a team that needs to focus on a two or three year rebuild. However, I like this move a little bit more than the Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley deals. It’s a little bit cheaper (9 million over 2 years) and they’re getting a similar caliber player to Tuck and Woodley. Smith is going into his age 33 season, but he’s graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 8^th, 6^th, and 18^th ranked 3-4 defensive end in each of the last 3 seasons respectively. He’s especially excelled as a pass rusher, grading out 2^nd, 2^nd, and 5^th respectively purely in pass rush grade over those 3 seasons respectively.

One concern is that he might be too small to play defensive tackle in a 4-3 at 6-4 285. He was already a liability against the run in Houston’s 3-4, but now he’ll be even closer to the center of the formation so his size could be an even bigger issue. Before 2011, he really was a player without a position, before Wade Phillips found the perfect role for him in Houston’s 3-4, giving him plenty of opportunities to be a one gap penetrator and get after the quarterback, even at the expense of the run. I don’t know how well he’ll fit schematically in Oakland, but I think this signing has a chance to be a good one, even if the Raiders’ entire off-season direction confuses me.

Grade: B+

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