One of the bigger names left on the market, Damarious Randall, just agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders a few days ago. Unhappy with their veteran leadership and play at the safety position, they signed Randall to a one-year prove-it deal. There are no official numbers yet, but I would expect them to be team-friendly, and it’s been reported at $3.25 million. He should instantly slide in as the starter next to the big-hitting rookie from last season, Johnathan Abram. This is a nice addition by the Raiders and shows you just what type of players that Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are looking for, as they rebuild the legacy of the great Raider Nation. A new stadium, in a new home, with a new culture, but the motto stays the same and that’s “Just Win Baby!”
What the Raiders gets is a player with some experience, not only as a starter but experience and knowledge of being on a championship contender, from his days with the Green Bay Packers. While Randall is entering his age 28 season, he is still fairly young. He will slot in as the starting Free Safety and will be counted on to help provide some leadership, and mentor Johnathan Abram and the rest of that young secondary. He can play basically every position in the secondary, from deep safety to cornerback if needed. He had fallen out of favor towards the end of last season with the Browns, but that team was a mess, to say the least. Now on a much better team with a vision, he should get back to his earlier form of play.
For Randall, this is a great opportunity to get his career back on track and with a team that is trending up and that has elite decision-makers leading and molding this team. I fully expect him to return to form and put up the big impact numbers he did, until this past season in Cleveland. He’s a former first round pick (2015 Draft – #30) and as I mentioned earlier, the versatility he brings will be extremely valuable for both himself and the Raiders. He’ll be a chess piece if you will, that the Raiders can take advantage of matchups with. Plus he should be motivated to play extremely well, in an attempt to get a long term deal with the Raiders or in free agency next year.
He began his career in Green Bay where he played three seasons for the Packers, playing strictly as a cornerback. In his time there he played in 39 games, making 30 starts and registered 144 tackles, 126 solos, six tackles for a loss, 32 pass breakups, ten interceptions, for 173 return yards and two touchdowns. One of the better solid tackling cornerbacks in the league, that made an impact in the passing game. His ten interceptions during his time with the Cheese Heads, tied for the team lead with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. He also led the team in interceptions return yards, pass breakups, and touchdowns during his time with the Packers. What’s even more interesting is that he stepped up his game in the playoffs as you can see below, when he recorded five or more tackles, the Packers won. Numbers aren’t everything but can be a good indicator of how players impact a team. Such a good player for them and I am surprised they moved on from him.
Provided by: Pro Football Reference
Chapter two of Randall’s career, took place with the Cleveland Browns, from 2018-2019. They acquired him in a trade with Green Bay, along with 2018 fourth & fifth round picks in exchange for quarterback Deshone Kizer and fourth & fifth round picks in 2018. I thought it was a big win for the Browns and still feel they got the better of the trade. Interestingly they immediately switched him to free safety, which at the time I didn’t like, but looking back it was a good move for both him and the team. During his two seasons in Cleveland, Randall played 26 games and started all 26. He produced 146 tackles, 117 solos, five tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks, four interceptions, and 15 pass breakups. His first season in Cleveland is his best overall season to date, but last season may have been his worst. The transition to free safety did afford him more opportunities to get some reps to blitz. As I just said, 2019 was a down year for Randall in some ways and I’m not sure why he fell out of favor with the coaching staff, but he will be missed on that defense. We’ll see what chapter three of his career brings.
Provided by: Pro Football Reference
For us in the fantasy world, now is a great time to acquire Randall. With the down year last season and playing on a one year deal this year with the Raiders, he is an excellent value buy. His value as a safety is much better than it was when he was a cornerback in IDP fantasy. He can be had for relative pennies on the dollar, in trades as a throw-in or he can be even picked up off waivers, as I have seen in some of my leagues. Point being, the price it will cost to get him will be well worth the return value he will provide for your fantasy teams.
Thanks for reading my article and if you enjoyed it, you can read more of my articles here. You can also follow me on social media, on Twitter at Hollywood@DFF_DWin, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub I’m user KingTitan1 and you can tune in each week and listen to the podcasts, IDP Nation that I co-host, on a number of different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
