Raiders play waiting game on top free-agent target

Tuesday was another deliberate day in free agency for the Raiders.

It included an addition and subtraction at cornerback, the restructuring of another contract to free up cap space and a bit of a waiting game on a key part of their offseason plan.

The Raiders remain in the thick of things with free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore. As other defensive backs begin landing elsewhere across the league, the competition for the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year appears to be dwindling.

Both the 49ers and Jets were among the teams reportedly expressing the most interest in Gilmore, who played eight games last year with the Panthers after being traded to Carolina by the Patriots.

The 49ers, though, signed former Chiefs corner Charvarious Ward to potentially take themselves out of the Gilmore running. Meanwhile, the Jets agreed to terms with former Seahawks corner D.J. Reed to essentially eliminate themselves from the chase for Gilmore.

That leaves the Raiders in a strong position to reel in a standout player at a key area of need, although nothing was firmed up by late Tuesday afternoon.

That didn’t preclude the Raiders from making a move on the back end of their defense. The began the day by agreeing to terms with cornerback Darius Phillips on a one-year contract.

Phillips has been mostly a special teams ace with the Bengals. In 12 games last year, he averaged 21.7 yards on eight kickoff returns and 7.1 yards on 21 punt returns.

Phillips has five interceptions and 73 tackles in 47 games over his four-year career. He figures to bolster the depth at cornerback.

The addition of Phillips offsets the loss on Tuesday of cornerback Brandon Facyson, who followed former Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to Indianapolis.

In another move in the secondary, the Raiders tendered restricted free agent safety Dallin Leavitt at his original round value, meaning the former undrafted free agent will not bring back draft compensation if he signs with another team.

Leavitt stands to make $2.433 million under the terms of the tender. The Raiders have the right to match any offer he might receive on the open market.

Meanwhile, the Raiders created an additional $2 million in cap space by restructuring the contract of center Andre James. The move means the Raiders now have $32 million to spend under the salary cap.

It leaves them well-positioned to fill needs as free agency moves from the big splashy deals agreed upon during the two-day legal tampering period to the move moderate second wave of action.

That could include making a strong push for Gilmore, a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro and the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Gilmore, 31, has ties to Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, who both worked in New England when Gilmore was a star cornerback for the Patriots.

The Patriots traded Gilmore to the Panthers in October when they could not come to terms on a new contract.

Despite coming off an injury and missing training camp and the first half of last season, he would have ranked among the top 15 cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, had he played enough games to qualify.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.