Category: Raiders free agency

Undrafted DT Darius Stills already impressing new Raiders teammates ‘something to him’

A lot of people thought Darius Stills would be drafted this year. Including Stills himself. And when he didn’t, the standout defensive tackle out of West Virginia landed squarely on several lists of the top undrafted free agents. He chose to sign …

A lot of people thought Darius Stills would be drafted this year. Including Stills himself. And when he didn’t, the standout defensive tackle out of West Virginia landed squarely on several lists of the top undrafted free agents.

He chose to sign with the Raiders. And with the buzz surrounding him, I reached out to speak with him to try and get to the bottom of things.

What he told me was about how he’d been “slept on” at every level now. Mostly due to his size (6-0, 282). And he outplayed expectations each time.

This week Football Outsiders named Stills the most notable undrafted defender the Raiders signed this offseason.

West Virginia defensive tackle Darius Stills has some untapped athleticism. Stills’ short-shuttle, three-cone drill, 40-yard dash, broad jump, and vertical jump at the WVU pro day all come in above the 75th percentile among defensive tackle prospects since 1999.

Tuesday the rubber met the road, with Stills taking the field with his new veteran teammates for the first time for the start of OTA’s. And already Stills is turning heads. Including that of former Raiders top pick Clelin Ferrell.

“I don’t really evaluate guys until we put the pads on, but a guy who I like a lot is Darius Stills, an undrafted rookie from West Virginia,” said Ferrell after the second OTA practice. “Real, real good dude but he got a lot of twitch. He played three-technique. He got a lot of twitch. You can just tell in the movements when we on drills and stuff like that. He got a little something to him, so I like his game a little bit.”

Stills will have a chance to make this Raiders roster. While coaches say there are open competitions at positions when there really isn’t, there figures to be as close to an open competition as you can get at the DT spot for the Raiders.

With holdovers Maurice Hurst and David Irving both cut this offseason, there are entirely new faces at the 3-tech spot. None of whom have a lock on a roster spot, let alone a starting job. The rest of the group consists of Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson, and Matt Dickerson. Darius Philon and Johnathan Hankins figure to compete/rotate at the other defensive tackle spot.

Addition of CB Casey Hayward already paying dividends for Raiders

The latest big free-agent acquisition by the Raiders is the first to show his worth with the team. Former Chargers’ cornerback Casey Hayward was signed by the team earlier this month, nearly two months after the start of free agency in March. But …

The latest big free-agent acquisition by the Raiders is the first to show his worth with the team. Former Chargers’ cornerback Casey Hayward was signed by the team earlier this month, nearly two months after the start of free agency in March. But he’s ahead of the curve from his new teammates.

Why? Well, because he and Raiders new DC Gus Bradley have been together the past four years in LA. So, while the rest of the Raiders defenders are just now learning their new defensive playbook, Hayward knows it back to front.

The 10th year corner’s familiarity with the playbook and veteran presence is already proving quite valuable to his defensive teammates, especially those who share a secondary with him.

Third-year safety Johnathan Abram said of all the new faces in the secondary this year, he is most impressed with Hayward.

“Getting a chance to know him, be around him, he’s a guy who’s been in the system, going on six years. Just seeing the amount of things he saw. The starts that he got in this system. He pretty much knows it all,” Abram said of Hayward following Wednesday’s practice. “He goes out there, he talks every single play, in and out of the play. It’s just amazing to see. It’s very helpful for guys like me and other guys trying to learn this system. He’s been a tremendous help and I’m very glad he’s going to be a part of this team.”

Bringing in players who are familiar with a new coach’s scheme and vision is crucial. Paul Guenther did it several times when he first started coaching the Raiders defense, signing the likes of Reggie Nelson and Vontaze Burfict. Even DL coach Rod Marinelli brought with him several former Dallas defenders.

These players make the coach’s job easier. He doesn’t have to micromanage because he has a player in the group to fill in the gaps and show his teammates firsthand what their coach expects of them.

It also helps that Hayward is a good player. He isn’t a Jason Witten signing. He isn’t here to be a coach on the field. He’s here to compete for a starting job. And as it stands now he has a very good chance of winning that job opposite Trayvon Mullen.

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NFL rolling out new three-phase roster cutdown

NFL rolling out new three-phase roster cutdown

Remember for years the NFL roster cutdown went in two phases? It went from 90 players to 75 players to 53 players. That rule changed a few years back, putting the roster cutdown on one day. That meant the team went from 90 players to 53 in one fell swoop; a massive cutdown of 37 players.

Today the NFL announced they are not only going back to multiple cutdown days, but they’re expanding it to not just two, but THREE cutdown days.

The team will have 90 players throughout camp, with a cutdown to 85 players on August 17. which is just after the Raiders’ first preseason game.

Those 85 players where be cut down to 80 players by August 24, just after the Raiders’ second preseason game.

Then, finally, the roster will get its final, and by far largest, trim of 27 players to get down to 53 on August 31, just after the Raiders’ third and final preseason game.

That means the following day, on September 1st, the practice squads can be formed, and waiver claims can happen, with 12 days until the season opener on September 13.

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OL Kamaal Seymour waived by Raiders with Non-Football Injury designation

As the Raiders take the field for OTA’s, they made a roster transaction. They have waived offensive lineman Kamaal Seymour with a Non-Football Injury, which means he sustained the injury away from the facility. Seymour had originally signed with the …

As the Raiders take the field for OTA’s, they made a roster transaction. They have waived offensive lineman Kamaal Seymour with a Non-Football Injury, which means he sustained the injury away from the facility.

Seymour had originally signed with the Raiders last offseason and spent the 2020 season on the team’s practice squad.

The 6-6, 310-pound tackle went undrafted out of Rutgers and earned his spot on the practice squad in part because the team saw potential in his ability to play inside and outside along the offensive line.

It could be due in part to Seymour’s injury that the team [lawrence-newsletter][lawrence-newsletter]brought back veteran offensive lineman Patrick Omameh, who had played snaps at guard and tackle for the Raiders last season.

Even with those transactions, the team still has a roster spot open should they wish to add someone else.

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Raiders bring back OL Patrick Omameh

With the release of defensive lineman David Irving the Raiders had an open roster spot. Today they filled that roster spot by bringing back offensive lineman Patrick Omameh. The journeyman guard spent most of last season with the Raiders. He was …

With the release of defensive lineman David Irving the Raiders had an open roster spot. Today they filled that roster spot by bringing back offensive lineman Patrick Omameh.

The journeyman guard spent most of last season with the Raiders. He was first signed to the team’s practice squad on after week one and was quickly elevated to the active roster due to injuries to right tackle Trent Brown and left guard Richie Incognito.

Omameh would end up appearing in six games last season at both guard and tackle before being waived on December 14. He was then claimed off waivers by the Saints and then cut a week later. He would join the Chiefs and appear in their season finale before being reverted to their practice squad for their playoff run.

The 8th year veteran joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan in 2014. He’s started 58 games for six different teams including the Buccaneers, Bears, Jaguars, Giants, and Saints.

Raiders release veteran DL David Irving

Raiders release veteran DL David Irving

The defensive tackle position got really crowded this offseason and for the second time in the past few weeks, the Raiders thinned out the herd. Today the team officially released defensive tackle David Irving.

Irving most of last season on the team’s practice squad, after coming off league suspension in October.

The former Cowboys pass rusher had been suspended in March of 2019 for repeated violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy.

At his best, he had the makings of a dominant NFL defensive lineman. When he re-joined former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli in Las Vegas, where he was the defensive line coach, the Raiders had hoped he could get his career back on track.

Irving was re-signed in February to a one-year deal to compete at the defensive tackle spot. Then the team added Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson, Darius Philon, and Matt Dickerson.

Since then they had released Maurice Hurst and now Irving is out as well.

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Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10

Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10

Over the last few days, we’ve looked at the best players on the 2021 roster for the Las Vegas Raiders. We now move into the top ten. When we get a good feel for what kind of overall talent the Raiders possess.

10. PK Daniel Carlson

2020 was a bounce-back year for Carlson. In his second season with AJ Cole as his holder, Carlson found his stroke again, nailing 33 of his 35 field goal attempts (94.3%) including a perfect four for four from 50+ yards out. His field goal percentage was good for fourth-best in the NFL last season.

9. WR John Brown

Brown has averaged over 15 yards per catch over the past three seasons with the Ravens and Bills. His season was cut short in 2020 after nine games, but in 2019 he had a career-high 72 catches for 1060 yards and added six touchdowns. He comes in to replace the departed Nelson Agholor who put up career numbers with the Raiders last season.

8. RB Kenyan Drake

A strange signing to be certain as Drake is a luxury item on a team that already had a great starting running back and needed help on defense. But regardless of that, he brings talents with him that are starting caliber. His career average of 4.5 yards per carry, which was 4.8 yards per carry prior to a dip to four yards per carry in 2020.

But despite that slight dip in yards per carry, Drake also had his best overall numbers in terms of rushing yards (955) and touchdowns (10). He’s also been a receiver out of the backfield for much of his career, including in 2018 when he had 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Gruden intends to use him a lot in that capacity.

7. CB Trayvon Mullen

One of the few Raiders defenders who came out of last season having seen his play improve. Mullen is also the only member of the secondary whose starting job is unquestioned. He put up two interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season while allowed a respectable 7.7 yards per target.

The 2019 round two pick is a building block for a secondary that otherwise continues to try and find its way and will have at least two new starters next season and quite possibly three.

6. QB Derek Carr

Carr is coming off statistically his best season since his magical 2016 season. What was missing, however, was the magic. He is certainly efficient as a passer, throwing for 27 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Though his fumbling continues to be a real problem. He had 11 of them last season to give him 63 for his seven-year career. Last season they were a primary factor in the Raiders being the worst fumbling team in the league.

His efficiency as a passer and has not often translated into winning games. And it’s not all on the defense either. Over a five-game stretch late last season in which the Raiders were fighting for a playoff spot, Carr cracked the 100 passer rating barrier just once, throwing just six touchdowns to four interceptions, and the team lost four of those five games and were knocked out of the playoffs. It was eerily similar to the same five-game stretch in 2019.

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Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10

Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 6-10

Over the last few days, we’ve looked at the best players on the 2021 roster for the Las Vegas Raiders. We now move into the top ten. When we get a good feel for what kind of overall talent the Raiders possess.

10. PK Daniel Carlson

2020 was a bounce-back year for Carlson. In his second season with AJ Cole as his holder, Carlson found his stroke again, nailing 33 of his 35 field goal attempts (94.3%) including a perfect four for four from 50+ yards out. His field goal percentage was good for fourth-best in the NFL last season.

9. WR John Brown

Brown has averaged over 15 yards per catch over the past three seasons with the Ravens and Bills. His season was cut short in 2020 after nine games, but in 2019 he had a career-high 72 catches for 1060 yards and added six touchdowns. He comes in to replace the departed Nelson Agholor who put up career numbers with the Raiders last season.

8. RB Kenyan Drake

A strange signing to be certain as Drake is a luxury item on a team that already had a great starting running back and needed help on defense. But regardless of that, he brings talents with him that are starting caliber. His career average of 4.5 yards per carry, which was 4.8 yards per carry prior to a dip to four yards per carry in 2020.

But despite that slight dip in yards per carry, Drake also had his best overall numbers in terms of rushing yards (955) and touchdowns (10). He’s also been a receiver out of the backfield for much of his career, including in 2018 when he had 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Gruden intends to use him a lot in that capacity.

7. CB Trayvon Mullen

One of the few Raiders defenders who came out of last season having seen his play improve. Mullen is also the only member of the secondary whose starting job is unquestioned. He put up two interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season while allowed a respectable 7.7 yards per target.

The 2019 round two pick is a building block for a secondary that otherwise continues to try and find its way and will have at least two new starters next season and quite possibly three.

6. QB Derek Carr

Carr is coming off statistically his best season since his magical 2016 season. What was missing, however, was the magic. He is certainly efficient as a passer, throwing for 27 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Though his fumbling continues to be a real problem. He had 11 of them last season to give him 63 for his seven-year career. Last season they were a primary factor in the Raiders being the worst fumbling team in the league.

His efficiency as a passer and has not often translated into winning games. And it’s not all on the defense either. Over a five-game stretch late last season in which the Raiders were fighting for a playoff spot, Carr cracked the 100 passer rating barrier just once, throwing just six touchdowns to four interceptions, and the team lost four of those five games and were knocked out of the playoffs. It was eerily similar to the same five-game stretch in 2019.

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Improved pass-rush gives Raiders hope in 2021

Improved pass-rush gives Raiders hope in 2021

Over the offseason, the Raiders made it a priority to upgrade their pass rush. They signed Yannick Ngakoue as well as several other interior rushers. While the unit still needs to add talent, it’s a significantly upgrade group of rushers compared to what the team had a year ago.

How much has the unit actually improved and is it good enough to help improve the defense? That is the biggest question surrounding the Raiders.

But in a recent article by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, he discussed the biggest reason every team should be optimistic about the 2021 season. For the Raiders, that was none other than their improved pass rush. Here is a snippet of Knox’s thoughts on the unit:

“The Raiders should look forward to what their new-look pass rush can provide this season. They added Yannick Ngakoue and Solomon Thomas in free agency and used a third-round pick on Malcolm Koonce.

The Raiders already have one quality pass-rusher in Maxx Crosby, who had 17 sacks over the past two seasons. With the new trio on board and a top-10 offense still in place, Las Vegas should have enough talent on both sides of the ball to earn its first playoff berth since 2016.”

If Maxx Crosby or Clelin Ferrell can make a leap in Year 3, there is a chance this group could be tough to deal with in 2021. The addition of Ngakoue alone should be a significant upgrade for a defense that needed more speed off the edge.

For the first time since trading away Khalil Mack, the Raiders have a competent pass rush and that is one of the several reasons to be optimistic about this team this year.

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Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 11-15

Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 11-15

After revealing players 25-16 over the last two days, we head into the top 15 players on the Raiders roster:

15. LB Cory Littleton

Some people may be surprised to see Littleton ranked this high after the season he had in 2020. I don’t think it’s fair to write him off after one season. Consider the situation he found himself in. He joined a new team, with a complicated defense, in a year that had no offseason.

As a free agent, he was considered the best all-around linebacker on the market. I am not ready to let one down season erase that. I see a bounce-back year for Littleton with a full offseason in a more simplified system under new DC Gus Bradley.

14. OG Richie Incognito

At times Incognito looks just as dominant as he ever did. But he’s missed 18 games the past two seasons and is about to turn 38 in July. I don’t expect he will be at the level he was known for in 2017 and before when he was a durable Pro Bowl player, but he will be far from a liability on the line either.

13. WR Hunter Renfrow

Third-and-Renfrow is absolutely a thing. Defenses know Derek Carr will be looking for his reliable slot target on third down and yet Renfrow still manages to get open and move the chains.

He upped his game last season from his outstanding rookie season, catching seven more passes (56) for 51 more yards (656). He also did a solid bit of punt returning, averaging 11.5 yards per return on 23 returns.

12. DT Johnathan Hankins

Probably the most under-appreciated player on the Raiders’ defense. He’s started every game the past two seasons and appeared in every game since being signed early in the 2018 season. He clogs the middle and puts up tackle numbers you don’t normally see from a nose tackle, averaging 49 combined tackles the past two seasons.

11. G Denzelle Good

Good was seen as a quality reserve guard when the Raiders claimed him off waivers from the Colts in 2018. Last season he proved he was a whole lot more. A career guard, he stepped in at right tackle for a couple of games early in the season and then moved back to guard to replace the injured Incognito for the rest of the season. He made himself a must re-sign and a starter after the team traded away Gabe Jackson this offseason.

Continue on to rankings players 6-10

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