There's been talk that the Oakland Raiders and their former first round draft pick Michael Huff may part ways. Huff, who was selected 7th overall by the Raiders in the 2006 NFL Draft, has had a very underachieving career since coming to Oakland.
Huff had a a very impressive resume going into the draft and many felt he was going to be the next Ed Reed. Coming out of the University of Texas he was a first-team All-America safety and a winner of the Jim Thorpe Award for being the best defensive back in the nation. He recorded over 300 tackles with the Longhorns, set a school record with four career interception returns for touchdowns and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds at the NFL combine.
The Raiders were hoping for this type of performance from Huff when they signed him to a 6 year, 43 million dollar contract. However, Huff hasn't made the impact that they hoped he would since coming to Oakland three years ago. He's played 2 seasons at strong safety, and then one at free safety with the Raiders. The change in positions had little, if any affect on his performance. This past year he lost his starting job to undrafted free agent Hiram Eugene, and spent more time riding the pine during the second half of the season than he did on the field.
On the other hand, Huff has a couple of things going for him that could keep him in Silver and Black next year. For one, he's only due $945,000 in 2009 which is a very modest salary for a first round pick at his position. Secondly, the Raiders will have a new defensive play caller next season in Jim Marshall. Lastly, by no means does Eugene have a lock on the position and the only other option is former 4th round pick Tyvon Branch, who is not quite ready for prime time.
His 2009 bargain salary could enable the Raiders to wait and see how he performs under Marshall's gameplan. It's possible that Huff may be a better fit in this new defense, plus he's still a young player at only 25 years old. The Raiders may take the cheap gamble on Huff before they send him looking for work elsewhere. It may pan out to be a smart move.
