There are always surprises that happen at the cutdown deadline for each team. High profile free agents are signed, players are drafted and hyped up, and camp reports have everyone excited about players only to see them let go.
1. Swing tackle shuffle
The surprise here is the combination of moves by the Raiders. First it was the trade of David Sharpe to Washington, which in and of itself is no big surprise. Sharpe was in a competition to be the team’s swing tackle, but it was clear Sam Young was leading the way in that area. I even asked offensive coordinator Greg Olson why the team felt comfortable making that move, and his response confirmed Young’s value.
“Well, Sam Young came in, one of the players that we signed in the offseason and had a very good camp, so it made it a little bit easier to make that move,” Olson responded. “We like Sam and we like the development of Brandon Parker.”
Then Sam Young was among the players released, while Parker made the 53-man roster. Sharpe outplayed Parker in relief of Trent Brown last season.
Making sense of it:
Teams will often release a veteran and keep the developmental player for now, and a few days later, they do the switcheroo. They do this often. They did it with Kyle Wilber and Josh Mauro last season, signing both back a few days after the waiver period and placing Isaiah Johnson and Nathan Peterman on IR with designation to return. Alternatively, they could bring Young back after the first game of the season, signing him to a non-guaranteed contract.
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