With a new defensive coordinator and a new philosophy, it was important for the Oakland Raiders to retain one of their steadying influences on that side of the ball. Tyvon Branch was the guy, and the team made sure he stayed in the fold by paying him handsomely to stick around.
The Raiders agreed to a four-year contract with the safety, completing the deal two days before the deadline for franchise tagged players to reach an agreement on a new contract. Branch’s new deal is worth $26.6 million, $17.1 million of which is guaranteed.
He had signed a $6.2 million franchise tender May 7 and reported to off-season workouts. The sides had until today to agree to a new deal.
Getting Branch signed was important for the Raiders, who are counting on him to be one of the leaders under a new defense run by coach Dennis Allen and coordinator Jason Tarver. The Raiders report to training camp in Napa on July 29, and now nothing will be holding Branch back from being in wine country.
Branch, a fourth-round pick in 2008, is noted for his durability, which is not common in a physical game like the NBA. He has started every game the past three seasons and led the Raiders in tackles the past two years. He also had 78 solo tackles, one sack, one interception, four passes defensed and one fumble recovery last season. Branch’s 327 total tackles over the past three seasons are the second-most of any NFL defensive back, trailing only Indianapolis’ Antoine Bethea, who has 340. In short, he is the kind of steadying, reliable force that can make a defense go.
On top of that, Branch also was much improved in pass coverage, cutting his completion percentage against from 67.4 percent in 2010 to 55.7 percent last season, according to STATS LLC, with the Raiders often using him as a cornerback in nickel packages.
