Last year, the Oakland Raiders papered over their defense by handing out one-year contracts to veteran misfits. This year, they have raised the stakes, signing better players to two-year deals.
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The Raidersannounced defensive end Antonio Smithas the latest to sign on Friday. A person informed of the contract tells NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport the two-year deal is worth $9 million.
The former Houston Texans stalwart joins Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley, who were addedon Thursday.
Smith, 32, has been a durable, scheme-versatile pass rusher, recording 27 sacks in five years with the Texans.
This signing is the latest evidence to suggest the Raiders be "multiple" in their alignments, playing more of a 3-4 scheme than they've shown under Dennis Allen the past two years.
The Raiders didn't stop at Smith. They also announced the signing of former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown.
It's a fully guaranteed one-year, $3.5 million contract, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday.
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The 49ers reportedly were offering Brown $10 million over three years. The 29-year-old opted to bet on himself and hit the market again next offseason rather than return to San Francisco.
A 42-game starter over the past three seasons, Brown likely will line up opposite 2013 first-round draft pick D.J. Hayden in Oakland.
After collecting four veteran defensive starters over the past two days, Reggie McKenzie still has more money left to spend than any other general manager.
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