Tag: Oakland Raiders

Report: Jags to sign former Raiders CB Nevin Lawson

After visiting the team recently, former Raiders CB Nevin Lawson will be signing with the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be bringing in some help for their secondary this week as they have some injury concerns there, specifically at cornerback.  According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team is signing former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nevin Lawson, who was just cut on Monday.

Lawson, 30, visited the Jags recently, so this was a move many saw coming. This season will mark his eighth as he was drafted in 2014 by the Detroit Lions with the 133rd overall selection.

Lawson will bring plenty of experience to the secondary with 68 starts to his name, and throughout his tenure in the NFL, he’s registered 290 total tackles (239 solo) and 34 pass breakups but has yet to register an interception. As for his grades on Pro Football Focus, he registered a coverage grade of 54.7 last season and had a 55.6 overall grade.

Lawson wasn’t able to take the field this regular season with the Raiders as he  had to serve a two-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. That said, it appears he’s now cleared of that and will look to latch on with a struggling Jags group that might be without CJ Henderson and Tre Herndon, who are dealing with groin and knee injuries, respectively.

Former Raiders second-round pick Stefen Wisniewski retires from NFL

Former Raiders second-round pick Stefen Wisniewski retires from NFL

On Thursday, Stefen Wisniewski called it a career. The ten-year NFL veteran took to Twitter to make the announcement, adding that he will move on to become a pastor.

Wisniewski is the nephew of All-Pro former NFL guard Steve Wisniewski, who spent his entire 13-year career with the Raiders. When Stefen came available in the draft, the Raiders made him their selection at 48 overall in the 2011 draft.

A Penn State Nittany Lion just like his uncle, and now an Oakland Raider just like his uncle. Wisniewski spent the first four years of his NFL career in Silver & Black, first starting at left guard and then the final three years as the team’s starting center.

Since that time, he has bounced around a bit. He signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars, then he was moved to guard to play with the Eagles for three seasons before joining the Chiefs for two years. And in between two stints in KC, he played one game for the Steelers.

In his years with the Eagles and Chiefs, Wisniewski would end up being the starter on two Super Bowl-winning teams. The only actual NFL clubs he mentioned in his retirement announcement were when he said he was grateful for being a part of those Super Bowl-winning teams in Philadelphia (2017) and Kansas City (2019).

[vertical-gallery id=82026]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Raiders legendary WR Cliff Branch named senior committee finalist for Hall of Fame

Raiders legendary WR Cliff Branch named senior committee finalist for Hall of Fame

For years, NFL people have been pounding the table for Cliff Branch to get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And his time may have come. The Hall of Fame Senior Committee has named Branch as their player finalist for the 2022 enshrinement.

Senior Committee finalists almost always make it to induction, so Branch’s time may very well have finally come.

It’s a bitter-sweet moment because two years ago Cliff Branch passed away. So, after waiting nearly 30 years to get that knock on his door, he didn’t live to see it.

His snubbing has become more and more a source of frustration for many former Raiders teammates, including Marcus Allen whom I recently had the opportunity to ask about his thoughts on Branch not yet being enshrined.

“Levi, you’re touching nerves,” Allen replied. “And I don’t mind.”

“I think it’s almost criminal when you look at Cliff’s numbers and you look at others’ numbers that are in [the Hall of Fame]. He’s still number four all-time in postseason yards receiving. Played in a completely different era. If he played today and they were throwing it a hundred times a game, the numbers would just be ridiculous.

You can read all of what Allen had to say about Cliff Branch here.

When Branch retired, he had three Super Bowl rings and was the all-time leader in postseason receiving yards. He’s still fourth on the all-time list with all eligible receivers ahead of him already enshrined.

Branch has been eligible since 1990 and eligible for senior committee enshrinement for 11 years. He was among the senior committee nominees for the Centennial class, which welcomed 15 new Hall of Famers, but he was not among those chosen.

Also on the list, but not among those chosen for the Centennial class was Tom Flores. Flores was enshrined this month as part of the class of 2021 at the age of 84. Ken Stabler and Ray Guy also got in via the senior committee. Stabler, like Branch, didn’t live to see it.

[vertical-gallery id=82242]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Las Vegas Raiders sign former Notre Dame linebacker Te’von Coney

Can Coney make it in the NFL this time?

Sometimes, the third time’s the charm. Former Notre Dame linebacker Te’von Coney has been with the Raiders twice before as a member of their practice squad and on a reserve/futures contract. Neither tenure, one occurring with the Raiders in Oakland and another in Las Vegas, amounted to anything. Now, the Raiders are bringing Coney back.

Coney played for Notre Dame from 2015 to 2018, improving steadily every year. As a junior in 2017, he led the Irish with 116 tackles and 11-and-a-half tackles for loss. The next year, he repeated his team tackling feat and even improved to 123. In the end, his career totals were 313 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Over the course of his career, he recorded at least 10 tackles 12 times. His two best games in that regard came on two big stages:  In the Irish’s Citrus Bowl win over LSU his junior year (17) and in their blowout loss to Clemson in the Cotton Bowl to end his senior season (16).

Jags among teams with fewest winning seasons since 2003

Jacksonville’s four winning seasons over the last 18 years is tied for 28th in the NFL and ranks above just two teams.

There haven’t been a lot of notable moments for the Jacksonville Jaguars over the last two decades. The team burst onto the scene as an expansion team, making it to the AFC Championship in its second year of existence in 1996. After going 4-12 during its inaugural season in 1995, the team made the playoffs the next four seasons, returning to the AFC Championship Game again in 1999.

But the new millennium brought new struggles for the Jags. In 2002, coach Tom Coughlin was fired after three straight losing seasons, and the team made the playoffs just once from 2000-06, losing in the wild-card round in 2005.

An 11-5 season in 2007 saw the team earn its first (and only) playoff win of the decade, but it proved to be an outlier. The Jaguars didn’t return to the postseason until 2017 when it once again couldn’t get beyond the conference title game.

Since 2003, the Jags have just four winning seasons, which ties with the Detroit Lions and (surprisingly) the San Francisco 49ers for 28th in the NFL. The latter turned those four seasons into two Super Bowl and two NFC Championship Game appearances.

Only two teams in that span have fewer winning seasons than Jacksonville: The Cleveland Browns (two) and the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (one). Between a playoff season in 2002 and the 11-5 season in 2020, the Browns had just one winning season, an outlier 10-6 year under Romeo Crennel in 2007.

For the Raiders, the fall was much worse. The team made it to the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, but it wouldn’t top eight wins again until 2016, when a 12-4 season was derailed by an injury to quarterback Derek Carr, which held him out of Oakland’s wild-card loss.

The Jaguars aren’t quite at the bottom of the barrel, but the last 18 years could have been a lot better in Jacksonville. Still, with a new franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and coaching staff led by Urban Meyer, there’s reason to believe the losing seasons will soon be a thing of the past.

How Carl Nassib’s coming out just changed the lives of many

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports’ Nancy Armour discusses the announcement by Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib that he he is gay and why it will have an immediate impact on people across the world.

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports’ Nancy Armour discusses the announcement by Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib that he he is gay and why it will have an immediate impact on people across the world.

Arrest warrant for alleged battery issued for Seahawks DE Aldon Smith

Newly acquired Seattle Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith finds himself in legal trouble after a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Newly acquired Seattle Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith has not even been with the team for a week and he is already making headlines . . . albeit for less than stellar reasons.

In a surprising news drop on Monday morning, Travers Mackel of WDSU – New Orleans’ NBC affiliate – reported there has been a warrant for Aldon Smith’s arrest in St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana.

 

This is not just a potential hit for the Seattle Seahawks – who were enjoying the deepest collection of pass rush talent in years – but for Smith’s journey back to the NFL. Legal issues have completely marred what could have been a tremendous career.

Aldon Smith was a disruptive force for San Francisco from 2011-2014, but his time with the Niners ended following his third DUI arrest. Smith went across the Bay in 2015 to play for the then-Oakland Raiders, but received a year-long suspension due to a hit-and-run charge.

It would be the last time Smith played football for the next four seasons, until his return as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He played in all 16 games, and his 5.0 sacks were a lone bright spot on one of the league’s worst defenses.

Now Smith finds himself back in legal jeopardy. While it is certainly far too early to see how the legal process will play out, it’s important to note second chances don’t often present themselves in the NFL . . . and Smith has had his, as well as third, fourth, and fifth chances.

Perhaps this is the proverbial straw that will break NFL teams’ backs and they’ll realize perhaps the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze when it comes to Aldon Smith.

SeahawksWire will continue to update as this story unfolds.

[lawrence-related id=72412]

LB Dakota Allen returns to Jags on exclusive rights contract

The Jags brought back a familiar face to their defense Thursday in Dakota Allen.

According to the league’s transaction wire, the Jacksonville Jaguars have come to terms for linebacker Dakota Allen to return to the team. He showed up in the signing list for the league with an “exclusive rights signing” status next to his name.

Allen’s status is an indication that he was tendered as an exclusive rights free agent. With that being the case, Allen couldn’t sign with another team and his only choice as a player with less then three accrued seasons was to sign the one-year tender with Jacksonville. Under the tender, he’ll make the league minimum based on how many credited seasons he has to his name.

Allen entered the league as a seventh-round pick with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. He was waived and spent some time with the Oakland Raiders then found himself back with the Rams. In December of 2019, the Jags snagged Allen off the Rams’ practice squad and he’s played in 16 games while starting in two since. He’ll enter the 2021 season with 18 combined tackles with the Jags and will provide depth for a linebacking group led by Myles Jack and Joe Schobert.

Jags officially bring back DT Daniel Ross

After visiting the Jags Thursday, Daniel Ross will be re-joining the team and has signed a contract with them.

After visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday, defensive tackle Daniel Ross is returning to the team. The organization announced that they came to terms with Ross on Friday, giving the team another defensive lineman to come in and compete for a roster spot in training camp.

Ross, 28, played for the Jags last season after being claimed off waivers in December. Prior to his arrival in Jacksonville, he spent time on the Las Vegas Raiders’ (2020) and Dallas Cowboys’ (2017-18) active rosters. Between his time with all three aforementioned teams, he garnered 27 tackles, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries, while playing in 21 games.

Before being able to be a part of any NFL active roster, Ross was a practice squad player for the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. He also spent time in the Canadian Football League and played for both the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders.