The Raiders have been busy little beavers this offseason, adding players who, to varying degrees, should help them win more than four games this season. For example, DeAngelo Hall and Darren McFadden should play a more prominent role in Oakland's success than, say, Javon Walker. The Raiders also re-upped defensive lineman Tommy Kelly to fat new deal, but he's still recovering from an ACL injury, and one of the team's many weaknesses last season -- the d-line -- still lacks depth heading into '08. Which is why Oakland is interested in digging up a couple ginormous fossils:
The word around the league is that the Raiders are looking for some veteran depth at defensive tackle. ...In the short term, I think either both guys makes sense. Despite being a combined 70 years old, Adams and Jackson are, well, immense, and over-the-hill or not, there's no substitute for girth. Plus, with opposing offensive lines preoccupied with 700 pounds of defensive tackle, the Raiders quick-but-undersized linebackers will have more chances to make plays (hopefully, near the line of scrimmage).
There are two veterans out there that Oakland knows plenty about: Sam Adams and Grady Jackson. Jackson played his first five NFL seasons, from 1997-2001, with Oakland. Adams played in Oakland in 2002 and was a big part of the Raiders' Super Bowl team.
Both players are free agents and both have an interest in playing. If Oakland feels like it needs to sign a veteran at the position, Adams or Jackson may be players it turns to.
Ultimately, this would only be a short-term solution, but, if nothing else, it's a good start.
