Raiders free agency – Page 46 – Syndication Server

Raiders add two running backs after ‘COVID… hit us in the face’

Raiders add two running backs after ‘COVID hit us in the face’

There were two new running backs on the field on day two of Raiders practice. They were number 37 and 39. If you’re following along, those two numbers are already taken. But they’re in black — safety Tyree Gillespie and cornerback Nate Hobbs respectively. No matter, the Raiders were desperate for running backs and he had to get a number, so taken or not, those are the numbers they got.

Number 37 is Darius Jackson, a former sixth round pick out of Eastern Michigan who played four games in 2018 for the Packers and Cowboys. Number 39 is BJ Emmons and undrafted rookie out of Florida Atlantic.

As for the Raiders desperation, that comes from being without three running backs on the first day of camp.

One of those backs was Kenyan Drake who has an undisclosed injury that has placed in him on the NFI list. The other two are Jalen Richard and Theo Riddick who landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. And right out the gates of camp, there’s the feeling of ‘here we go again.’

“COVID is obviously still very real and it kind of hit us in the face here yesterday,” said Raiders OC Greg Olson. “You never want to have players miss [practice] but that’s the world we live in right now with COVID. It’s unfortunate those guys to have contacted it or to be in close proximity that they actually miss time because of that.”

The three losses at running back left just Josh Jacobs and undrafted rookie Trey Ragas as the lone running backs, making it vital the Raiders brought in someone to take some reps. Should either Richard or Riddick be out due to close proximity, he should be back in short order should he test negative.

Raiders sign punter Corliss Waitman with unique backstory

Raiders sign punter Corliss Waitman with unique story

On the eve of veterans to report to training camp, the Raiders are swapping out some legs. They added former undrafted punter Corliss Waitman and in a corresponding move waived former practice squad kicker Dominik Eberle.

Waitman is an interesting individual. His family is from the South American country of Suriname. His father Jose played pro basketball overseas. So, Corliss was born in Belgium. When Corliss was young, his father signed with a team in the Netherlands, so that’s where Corliss spent his childhood.

At 15, Corliss moved to 15 with his family where he switched from soccer to football as a punter and attended his father’s alma mater at South Alabama. Last year Waitman was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He was released in May of this year.

Oh, and he’s left-footed.

That’s all unique enough. But to top it off, Waitman is a black man. Which we know is rare for punters or kickers in the NFL. The Raiders had Marquette King at punter for a few years and he is still one of just a handful of black punters in the history of the NFL.

It doesn’t seem like it should be so rare, but it just is. And it makes Waitman that much more unique. Along with all the other details of his life’s journey.

As for Eberle, he too went undrafted in 2020, signing on with the Raiders and spending all of last season on the practice squad.

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5 Raiders entering make-or-break seasons in 2021

These five Raiders must step up this season or step down

On Tuesday, the Raiders report to training camp. Set to embark on their 2021 season in which there is a lot riding. Some have a lot more riding on this season than others.

Not every year has to be THE year for every player. Some guys have a past of great play that gives them the benefit of the doubt for a down season while others will still be given time to reach their full potential. Some, however, are set to face seasons where it could be crucial to step up or step down. Here are five for the Raiders this season.

5. DT Solomon Thomas

The former third overall pick started his career having a fairly standard rookie season. The kind that suggests there’s talent there, but it’s still to be developed. Then his career didn’t quite take off from there.

Thomas spent four seasons with the team that selected him and gave him a short trip from his dorm room at Stanford to nearby Santa Clara. But the 49ers let him walk with no fifth-year option. Now he signs on to a one-year deal with the Raiders, hoping to prove that a change of scheme and position (5-tech DE to 3-tech DT) will prove to the league that he is no bust. This could be his best chance to do that.

4. S Johnathan Abram

A lost rookie season gave way to a rough first full season. And just like that, he’s going into his pivotal third season. Fair or not, the reality is teams don’t wait more than a couple of seasons before deciding whether a player is the answer. Even for a first-round pick like Abram.

The former highly regarded rookie is now on the hot seat. He has a rookie in fourth-round pick Tyree Gillespie breathing down his neck and it’s somewhat of a contract year for Abram because next offseason the team will decide whether they want to use the fifth-year option on him or take their chances. By then they may have already made up their mind whether Abram can be the long-term answer.

3. DE Clelin Ferrell

Like Solomon Thomas, Ferrell was a top-five pick (fourth overall) as a defensive lineman. And like Abram, he was taken in the 2019 draft which means this season will be when the team will need him to show he is worth using a fifth-year option on him.

Ferrell has not shown himself to be worthy of even a first-round selection, let alone a top-five pick. He has just 6.5 sacks in his first two seasons despite 26 starts. Sacks aren’t everything, but if a player isn’t getting them, he has to make up for it in other areas and Ferrell has yet to do that. Now he will have to prove he is worthy of seeing the field over the likes of Maxx Crosby (17 sacks in two seasons) and newcomer Yannick Ngakoue (16 sacks in the past two seasons).

2. QB Derek Carr

His stats have gone up each of the past two seasons. So, there’s that. But the results have been pretty much the same — the team looks like they could be in the playoff hunt at midseason only to tank down the stretch and miss the playoffs.

A lot of people prefer to put the blame solely on the defense. And, yes, the defense has been bad. But while everyone wants to say Derek Carr is not the problem, the correct question should be is he the solution? You can point the finger anywhere else you want, but the bottom line is the quarterback must be able to put the team on his back and pull out some wins even when the rest of the team isn’t ideal. This year he must prove he is that guy or the team must find something who is or could be. That’s just the nature of the business.

1. HC Jon Gruden

Yeah, yeah, he has a ten-year deal, blah blah blah. But does he really? Can you prove that if he were let go after this season that the Raiders would be on the hook for six years and whatever remains of a supposed $100 million deal?

Keep in mind that Gruden has in the past denied that he signed such a deal. He has also said that if he can’t get it done, he wouldn’t take Mark Davis’s money. And that doesn’t necessarily mean he would refuse to be paid for the years he has coached. It could simply mean he won’t take money for years remaining on his contract.

Let’s just suppose, for the sake of argument, that Gruden’s contract is more of a ‘Five years and we’ll see’ kind of deal. He’s already lasted longer than most coaches who couldn’t take a team to the playoffs. His first year he took a team that went 6-10 the previous season and was one season removed from a playoff appearance and led them to a 4-12 record.

And fans like to say the Raiders have seen progress the past couple of seasons, but he’s still not led the Raiders to a winning record in a season and the team is 5-15 over the final six games of each season under him. Do you think he can or should survive another season missing the playoffs? I highly doubt it.

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Ranking the AFC West: Full teams

It all comes down to this. We’ve taken the scores for each full squad and tallied them up to discover which teams in the AFC West have the most overall talent. Here are the results.

1. Chiefs

Stars: QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Tyreek Hill, TE Travis Kelce, OT Orlando Brown Jr, G Joe Thuney, DI Chris Jones, S Tyrann Mathieu

While the defense isn’t the best, the high-powered offense more than makes up for it. Having one of the league’s best coaches in Andy Reid goes a long way as well. This team has been in the Super Bowl each of the past two years, winning it following the 2019 season.

2. Broncos

Stars: WR Courtland Sutton, LT Garrett Bolles, ED Von Miller, ED Bradley Chubb, LB Alexander Johnson, CB Bryce Callahan, S Justin Simmons

A lackluster offense is held up by a stout defense that has little to no weaknesses across the board. They are led by longtime Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio who knows how to get the best out of his players on that side of the ball. Whether they are actually able to finish second in the division may be another story because of their QB situation. But otherwise, the talent is there.

3. Chargers

Stars: QB Justin Herbert, WR Keenan Allen, C Corey Linsley, DI Linval Joseph, ED Joey Bosa, S Derwin James

After flirting with success most of last season, the Chargers finally broke through and finished on a high note, winning their final four games of the season. They are set up for sustained success with young stars like Herbert and James. While the Chiefs and Broncos are outstanding on one side of the ball but not great on the other, the Chargers are a well-balanced squad. We ranked them second on both offense and defense in the division.

4. Raiders

Stars: RB Josh Jacobs, TE Darren Waller, G Richie Incognito, ED Maxx Crosby

It’s simply an overall lack of talent that hurts this Raiders team. They have the third-best offense and the worst defense. While the other AFC West teams boast several stars on both sides of the ball, the Raiders are wholly lacking in star power.

They have a lot of potential and are hoping the stars align and they can get the best out of all their underachieving incumbents and new addition flyers.

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Ranking the AFC West: Defenses

After having compiled all the scores and ranking the offenses in the AFC West, we move on to the defenses. And what we see is a near flip in terms of best and worst on offense.

1. Broncos

Best position groups: Edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback, safety

Ladies and gents, we have a near-clean sweep of defensive positions in which the Broncos take the top spot in this division. The only position they don’t top is interior defensive line and they’re second. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen that. None more dominating than their secondary which may be the best in the NFL. Standing out are stars Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, and Justin Simmons.

2. Chargers

Best position groups: Edge rusher, cornerback

While they don’t take the top spot with any position group. they are also not the worst in the division at any position. They also boast probably the division’s top individual edge rusher in Joey Bosa.

3. Chiefs

Best position groups: Defensive interior, safety

Leading the way on this Chiefs defensive is two-time Pro Bowler Chris Jones joined by outstanding nose tackle Derrick Nnadi. Jumping to the other side of the defense, they field three-time All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu. In between, it’s not so great with the Chiefs sitting in last place at edge rusher, linebacker, and cornerback. But DI and S are strong enough to keep them out of the cellar on defense.

4. Raiders

Best position group: Linebacker

Strange to think linebacker is the Raiders’ strongest position on defense. That’s partly on potential after a rough 2020 season. Their worst positions are defensive interior and safety. The IDL has Johnathan Hankins joined by a group of scrap heap flyers led by failed third overall pick Solomon Thomas.

Safety has two high picks starting in former first-round pick Johnathan Abram and rookie round two pick Trevon Moehrig. Abram in particular is in danger of losing his starting job if he can’t play more disciplined football.

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Ranking the AFC West: Offenses

We’ve gone through each position group in the AFC West and ranked them. Now we compile some scores to rank each team’s offense. The list starts in a somewhat predictable place.

1. Chiefs

Best position groups: Quarterback, tight end, guard

First and foremost, the Chiefs have easily the best quarterback in the division in Patrick Mahomes. He has the league’s best tight end Travis Kelce and a couple of speed demons in Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman as targets. He also has the division’s best offensive line protecting for him. Far and away from the division’s top offense.

2. Chargers

Best position groups: Wide receiver, center

A budding star in QB Justin Herbert enters his second season fresh off running away with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He has the division’s best wide receiver corps at his disposal led by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and the division’s top center Corey Linsley snapping him the ball.

3. Raiders

Best position groups: Running back, tight end

The top weapon on this offense is tight end Darren Waller. While Kelce may be the top TE in the division, Waller is a close second, perhaps in the NFL overall. The Raiders also boast the division’s top rushing attack led by Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.

Derek Carr takes a backseat to Mahomes and Herbert. Carr also has the division’s worst wide receiver corps and worst offensive line in front of him. Weird to not see the Raiders’ offensive line as tops in the division, but trading away Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson while starting a rookie at right tackle hurts their ranking.

4. Broncos

Best position group: Offensive tackle

Drew Lock is easily the division’s worst QB and one of the worst starting QB’s in the league. He brings down the overall talent of the offense considerably. Despite having the division’s second-best offensive line. They also boast the second-best rushing attack led by Melvin Gordon. But that isn’t enough to keep them out of the cellar on offense.

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Ranking the AFC West: Cornerback Units

There’s no such thing as teams that field just two starting cornerbacks. It’s a nickel league and slot corners are more important than ever. So, when judging a team’s starting cornerback units, it’s three deep. One team not only has three solid starters, but they may have four. While a couple of others have uncertainty from the top down.

1. Broncos

Starters: Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan

You may not find a better starting three cornerbacks than this trio. Darby led the division and was fifth in the NFL with 16 pass breakups. While Callahan gave up just 28 catches on 52 targets. Fuller is a former All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler who signed on this offseason. Oh, and just for good measure, they drafted Patrick Surtain II at No. 9 overall. This unit is absolutely stacked.

2. Chargers

Starters: Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr, Chris Harris Jr

Davis is one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the league. He snagged three interceptions and defended 14 passes. The former All Pro Harris has been one of the most feared slot cornerbacks in the league for some time and is still one of the better cornerbacks at age 32. They are joined by second round pick Asante Samuel Jr.

3. Raiders

Starters: Trayvon Mullen, Casey Hayward, Amik Robertson

Mullen has quietly been a very solid cornerback since late in his rookie season in 2019. He cemented himself as the team’s best cornerbacks with two picks and 14 pass breakups last season. He is joined by veteran Casey Hayward. The two-time Pro Bowler comes over along with new DC Gus Bradley. He was the only cornerback in the AFC West to give up catches (36) on less than 50% of his targets (75). The slot cornerback job is where the big questions arise. Second-year man Amik Robertson will have his shot at the position, but will face competition from rookie Nate Hobbs and veteran Nevin Lawson.

4. Chiefs

Starters: Charvarius Ward, DeAndre Baker, L’Jarius Sneed

Sneed broke out as a fourth-round rookie last season. He looks like the best cornerback on the team. He’ll need to prove he can do it again. Ward has been decent and gave up just 28 receptions on 53 targets last season. Baker was a first round pick by the Giants in 2019 who they gave up on after one season and bounced back and forth from the Chiefs’ practice squad last season.

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Ranking the AFC West: Edge Rusher Duos

Pressure on the quarterback is a major factor in the NFL. The AFC West has at times in recent years had some fantastic duos. While it isn’t quite the pass-rushing powerhouse division is once was, there are still some remnants that remain.

1. Broncos

Starters: Von Miller, Bradley Chubb

Miller was lost for all of last season, keeping him from heading to his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl. So, Chubb decided he would go and make the Pro Bowl instead. Basically, the Broncos have bookend Pro Bowl edge rushers. And of course, Miller is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Some believe at 32 years of age, his best years are behind him, but I’ll believe that when I see it.

2. Chargers

Starters: Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu

If Miller is on the downhill of his career — and that’s a big if — then Bosa takes the crown as the top pass rusher in the division. He turned 26 years old yesterday, ready to embark on his sixth NFL season in pursuit of a fourth Pro Bowl nod. He led the division in sacks (7.5) and QB hits (27) last season.

Bosa won’t have Melvin Ingram on the other side, but Nwosu is solid too. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He’s coming off a career-best 4.5-sack season and will be looking to put up big numbers in order to try and cash in with a second contract.

3. Raiders

Starters: Maxx Crosby, Yannick Ngakoue

Full disclosure had one of the starters been former top pick Clelin Ferrell, the Raiders would be dead last in these rankings. Ferrell has been an immense disappointment as an edge rusher with just 6.5 sacks over his first two seasons. His fourth-round draft classmate Maxx Crosby has been a revelation, putting up 17 sacks in that same amount of time despite not even becoming the full-time starter until midway through his rookie season.

So Crosby is having to do all the work around the edge himself, the team added Ngakoue to the mix. The recent journeyman lands on his fourth team in a calendar year despite never posting less than eight sacks in a season. He may not be known for much other than pass rush, but he bulked up this offseason to try and remedy that.

4. Chiefs

Starters: Frank Clark, Taco Charlton

Clark has most of the talent in this duo with 48 sacks and over 100 QB hits over his six-year career. Though he’s currently facing some serious trouble with a felony weapons charge, so his season is in jeopardy.

Charlton doesn’t add much to the mix. The former first-round pick has just 11 sacks and 20 tackles for loss over four NFL seasons with the Cowboys, Dolphins, and Chiefs.

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Raiders rookie DT Darius Stills changes to college number

There was some number shuffling that happened today. The key one was undrafted rookie Darius Stills, who nabbed the number 56 which he wore at West Virginia.

The undrafted free agent was a topic of conversation throughout OTAs and minicamp with two different Raiders defensive linemen calling him out as a standout in practices so far.

The reigning Big-12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and consensus All-American recently told me he was expecting to be a day three pick in April’s draft after an outstanding season for the Mountaineers. He has the talent but was knocked for his size (6-0, 278). Getting his college number could be a sign the Raiders think he could wear it a while.

Stills wore the number 79 in practices, which ended last week. With the switch, newly re-signed tackle Sam Young took up that number, switching from number 69. Young wore number 70 last season for the Raiders.

A couple of other newly added Raiders got their numbers. Linebacker Darron Lee, who wore number 58 while trying out during minicamp, keeps that number. Cornerback De’Vante Bausby will wear number 41 which was worn by TJ Morrison who was cut to make room for Bausby on the roster.

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Raiders add former first-round pick LB Darron Lee

When you have a former NFL Draft guru as your GM, it’s expected that you might see a few former highly thought of prospects given a chance to return to their former glory. Today the Raiders officially added linebacker Darron Lee, making him the …

Mike Mayock had Lee as his third best LB prospect in the 2016 draft. Lee would be drafted by the Jets with the 20th overall pick. His career did not turn out as expected and by the 2020 season, Lee was trying to find his way onto an NFL roster, spending the entire season on the Bills’ practice squad.

Lee spent the first three seasons of his career in New York. His time there ended in 2018 when he was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

He was given a second chance in 2019 with the Chiefs, but started just two games and seeing most of his time on special teams.

Along with Lee, the Raiders added veteran journeyman CB De’Vante Bausby. To make room on the roster they waived CB TJ Morrison.