The Oakland Raiders will put the franchise tag on safety Tyvon Branch, according to NFL.com.

Branch, a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2008, has started 48 consecutive games for Oakland and was expected to be one of the better free agent strong safieties on the market if he had gotten to the open market.

The franchise tag means Branch will have a guaranteed base of $6.2 million for 2012.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com