The Raiders are going to inquire about a Marcus Gilchrist addition to their secondary. They are set to host the free agent safety on a visit Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Reggie Nelson‘s contract expired after last season, the second of a two-year deal, and Oakland has a need on its back line alongside Karl Joseph. The Raiders were targeting secondary help this offseason but have yet to bolster that unit with an addition. They lost slot corner T.J. Carrie to the Browns on Wednesday.
Oakland does not have as much cap space as it has in recent years and could well be allocating some of it toward recently released wideout Jordy Nelson. The Raiders, however, are interested in Rashaan Melvin.
Pro Football Focus graded Gilchrist, 29, as a middle-of-the-road safety last season, when he was with the Texans. Despite some big expenses over the past few years, the Raiders have continued to struggle in coverage. They’re now set to have three new starters in their secondary.