Tag: justin march-lillard

Raiders bring back former Special Teams captain LB Kyle Wilber

Former Special Teams captain LB Kyle Wilber back with Raiders in light of gutted LB corps

A familiar face is back in the building for the Raiders. Kyle Wilber spent three seasons with the Raiders from 2018-20. He was not brought back this season and now returns to help the Raiders who are shorthanded at the linebacker spot.

For interim head coach Rich Bisaccia their familiarity goes back a lot farther. Wilber is a longtime special teams maven and was a captain on special teams for the Raiders.

Bisaccia was the special teams coach in Dallas from 2013-17. That entire time, he had Wilber leading his squad. And when he came to Oakland in 2018, Wilber came with him.

Wilber wasn’t on a roster, so he was just waiting for a call and he got it from the man who knows him best.

The Raiders also signed LB Justin March-Lillard.

The sudden need for linebackers comes from the fact that they placed five of them on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week. Combine that with Nicholas Morrow and Nick Kwiatkoski both being on injured reserve and practice squad LB Javin White getting signed away by the Jets, and the Raiders are downright desperate at the position.

Other than Wilber and March-Lillard, the only active Raiders linebackers on the roster are Marquel Lee and rookie Divine Deablo.

The Raiders also added LB Asmar Bilal to the practice squad today.

Titans activate Geoff Swaim off COVID-19 list, waive two

The Titans have just three players remaining on the COVID-19 list.

The Tennessee Titans announced they have activated another player off the Reserve/COVID-19 list, as tight end Geoff Swaim will officially join the 53-man roster.

The Titans cleared space for Swaim by waiving cornerback Chris Jones, and linebacker Justin March-Lillard was waived off the COVID-19 list as well.

Tennessee now has three players left on the list, including right guard Nate Davis, center Ben Jones and offensive lineman Cole Banwart. Head coach Mike Vrabel says he expects Jones and Davis to be activated this week.

Swaim is expected to play a significant role at tight end this season, along with fellow tight end Anthony Firkser. Swaim should serve as the Titans’ blocking specialist, while Firkser will be the top pass-catching tight end.

However, that scenario will depend upon how improved Firkser is as a blocker. If he can prove to be reliable in that area, he could play more of an every-down role for Tennessee in 2021.

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Week 11 Inactives and Captains: Lawrence, Gregory good to go

The captains and inactive lists for Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been what anyone would describe as the picture of health throughout the 2020 season. Still, time stops for no team and never has that been more true than now as they begin a brutal slate of three games in just 11 days. Here’s a depressing thought: this Sunday may be the healthiest the Cowboys will be for the rest of the season.

With kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings just an hour away, the official inactive lists are available for both teams. The good news for the Cowboys is both DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory will be available despite an illness keeping them out of practice for most of the week. Here’s the official list:

A who’s who of rookies are inactive for Dallas today, including the perennially benched Reggie Robinson, who has yet to suit up for a single snap all season. Defensive end Bradlee Anae is apparently incapable of beating out Dorance Armstrong for playing time will join him as will Ron’Dell Carter who was just brought back from the Indianapolis Colts.

For the Vikings, their most visible inactive player that will have an affect on the day’s outcome is rookie tackle Ezra Cleveland. He had been ruled out of action on Friday, so this doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s worth noting that he hadn’t missed a snap since returning to the lineup in Week 6.

Their other inactives have played few snaps on the season. Here is the list in its entirety:

Center Joe Looney who remains the starting center in lieu of injured rookie Tyler Biadasz has been named captain for the week. Joining him is crafty veteran Sean Lee and running back and kick returner Tony Pollard.