This isn’t surprising news, but the Oakland Raiders are expected to let LB Malcolm Smith, TE Mychal Rivera and backup QB Matt McGloin leave via free agency.
Malcolm has led the team in tackles two years running, but the box score doesn’t tell the entire story.
The Raiders have been plagued by poor run defense over that time, especially in the trenches. Simply by sheer volume of players reaching the second level, Malcolm has often been the box score beneficiary.
Smith’s downfall in Oakland has ultimately been the fact that he is a complete liability in coverage.