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The Oakland Raiders have lost rookie safety Johnathan Abram for the year with a torn rotator cuff labrum and Miami Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick could be the perfect replacement.
The Oakland Raiders began their 2019 season with a bang last Monday defeating the Denver Broncos 24-16 to start the season with a victory. But there wasn’t exclusively good news coming out of that game.
Unfortunately, rookie safety Johnathan Abram suffered a torn rotator cuff and labrum in the contest and has been placed on the injured reserve thus ending his season. It’s a big blow to a Raiders defense that looked so promising in Week 1.
The team does have options — albeit significantly less exciting options. The most likely candidate to take on a great share of snaps is veteran Curtis Riley who has had prior starting experience with the New York Giants.
Erik Harris is another player who could see looks there and it’s possible this opens the door for Lamarcus Joyner to play some more safety — although it’s unclear who would play the nickel corner role.
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But there is one better solution to all of the above that the Raiders should at least explore. That being a possible trade for Miami Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick was one of the most highly-touted players in the 2018 NFL Draft and was eventually selected 11th overall by the Dolphins. The 22-year-old is a true do-it-all defensive back who excels both at slot corner and at safety.
And when Alabama needed him to play outside cornerback in college, he did so and played the role extremely effectively. Think of him as a younger, bigger, more physical Lamarcus Joyner.
Fitzpatrick still has relatively high value around the league even if the start to his NFL career has been a bit underwhelming. And with him reportedly being on the trade block, the Raiders should not resist this opportunity to pounce or at least dabble.
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Given his youth and major upside, reports indicate that Miami is looking for a first-round pick but could be willing to settle for a second-rounder if need be. And if that’s the case, Oakland should be all over this.
The Raiders do not have a second-round pick in the upcoming draft but they do have two first-rounders and two third-rounders. Perhaps a happy compromise would be to trade away Chicago’s first-round pick in exchange for Fitzpatrick and a mid-round selection — perhaps as high as a second-rounder.
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Whatever the value, it’s clear that Fitzpatrick would be an obvious fit in Paul Guenther’s defense.
The Alabama product would give the team yet another versatile defensive back who could fill a starting role on the defense now and in the future.
In the short-term, Fitzpatrick could play primarily out of the slot which would allow Joyner to move back to safety where he’s more comfortable. That would leave a safety duo of Joyner and Karl Joseph with the starting three corners being Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
That’s a pretty solid group of defensive backs, especially important for a Raiders team looking to employ more 4-2-5 looks.
And in the long run, this acquisition makes a ton of sense as well.
Fitzpatrick is still very young and affordable which is great news for the Raiders who could use their cap space to fill more important positions this offseason. On top of that, Joseph will be a free agent after this season and it’s unclear if he’s done enough to warrant a second contract.
It is clear, however, that Fitzpatrick would be the cheaper, likely better option.
If the team really wanted to, they could even move on from Joyner after just one season as the former Los Angeles Rams defensive back has an out after the first year of his contract.
Next: Oakland Raiders: Previewing Week 2 from a Kansas City Chiefs perspective
Whether he’d be playing safety or slot cornerback, Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a fantastic addition to a Raiders secondary that just lost one of its top young playmakers.