The Oakland Raiders have been one of the most active teams in the NFL during the offseason, making a number of free agent deals and drafting some intriguing players, but the team may not be totally finished reworking the roster, as Brandon Lloyd could be an addition.
According to SI.com, the Raiders may take a look at Lloyd following the draft since they released one of their top receivers in Darrius Heyward-Bey in the offseason and need some playmakers for Matt Flynn, Tyler Wilson and Terrelle Pryor to work with. Lloyd was previously with the Patriots and was cut lose after not working on his three-year, $12 million contract with the team and after the draft he is still without a team.
Lloyd has played for six teams during his NFL career and last season he missed out on some big plays, as he caught just 74 throws out of 130 targets from Tom Brady and had a career low 12.3 yards per catch. He had high expectations coming into the season and after making the Pro Bowl previously, he has made 1,000 yard receiving just once, but that could be perfect for the Raiders. The team is in a tough financial situation and could get him on the cheap while he could also be a veteran presence in the locker room. Lloyd previously played in the Bay area for the 49ers after being drafted in 2003 and while he has made a number of nice catches during his career, many felt he had the potential to do more.
Oakland has a number of young receivers that have injury issues in Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore, leaving an opening for Lloyd on the roster. He had 50 catches for first downs last season and could help the Raiders in the short game and Matt Flynn could use as many hands around the ball as he can get. Moore had a solid season last year, but the Raiders still need to replace the production from tight end Brandon Myers, who had 79 catches for 806 yards to lead the team last season. Ford has been injured for 22 of the past 23 games and Lloyd could be a reliable addition.
In 2010 he had his best season with 72 of his 77 catches coming for first downs and he had 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns that season with Kyle Orton throwing him passes. He has increased his catching totals from 2011 to 2012, but he was a disappointment for Belichick and the Patriots and now could move to the Raiders or possibly the Chargers.
