TUESDAY, 2:33pm: The Raiders are the frontrunners for Knighton but the Colts are still in the mix, according to Cecil Lammey of ESPN Denver (on Twitter). The Bears and Washington, meanwhile, are out.
Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (on Twitter) hears that the Raiders are expected to be the winners.
10:01am: Knighton will reach the open market in just under five hours, but there’s no guarantee he’ll sign with the Raiders at that point. After ESPN’s Bill Williamson tweeted last night that the situation remains “fluid,” Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports hears from a source today that Knighton still isn’t close to an agreement with any team (Twitter link). Oakland still looks like the most logical fit to me, given the Del Rio connection and the Raiders’ abundance of cap room, but we’ll have to wait and see what Pot Roast decides.
MONDAY, 1:35pm: The Raiders and Terrance Knighton are nearing agreement on a deal, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Tafur cautions that he hasn’t heard of the deal being finalized yet, however.
Pot Roast started drawing “serious interest” from a handful of teams, including the Raiders, Colts, Bears, and Washington, once Ndamukong Suh came off the board. Oakland has also long been viewed as a logical landing spot for Knighton, considering his history with new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio. Not only did he play for Del Rio’s defense in Denver; he also played under Del Rio in Jacksonville earlier in his career.
When Luke Adams listed PFR’s top 50 free agents recently, he ranked Knighton 16th on our list, identifying the Raiders as his most logical suitor. The six-year veteran was an integral part of a Broncos team that had the league’s second-best run defense in 2014, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Knighton 12th among 81 qualifying D-tackles last season.