Getty Oakland Raiders WR Marcell Ateman has signed to the practice squad.
The Oakland Raiders had a busy day Saturday, between cutting down their roster to 53 players and trading arguably the best defensive player in the NFL in Khalil Mack. But with all that business taken care of, Jon Gruden and company are now locked in on rounding out their 10-player practice squad.
We’ll track the signings below, and add the new ones in as they come while offering insight on each.
Fullback Ryan Yurachek (Matt Schneidman)
Raiders are signing fullback Ryan Yurachek to the practice squad, per source.
Yurachek was originally with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Marshall. Interestingly, the former Thundering Herd playmaker spent all four of his collegiate seasons as a tight end before switching to fullback at the NFL level. Over 51 games with Marshall, Yurachek caught 143 passes for 1,354 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was a team captain in 2017 and also earned first-team All-Conference USA honors
Tight end Paul Butler (Matt Schneidman of the Bay Area News Group)
Raiders are signing TE Paul Butler to the practice squad, per source.
Butler played his college ball for California University of Pennsylvania, where he caught 32 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns. His best preseason game came against the Los Angeles Rams when he caught three passes for 35 yards.
Linebacker Jason Cabinda (Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Raiders signed LB Jason Cabinda to practice squad, source said. A priority addition after clearing waivers today. Cabinda impressed as undrafted rookie from Penn State.
Cabinda, an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, impressed throughout the preseason and consistently got better as well. He totaled 28 combined tackles and two for loss. This included a performance in the preseason finale in which he totaled 10 tackles, two for loss.
Wide receiver Marcell Ateman (Michael Gehlken)
Ateman is a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma State and some believed he’d have a chance to make the 53-man roster. It seems he was just short of making the cut, but the rookie wideout impressed this preseason. Ateman caught at least three passes in three of the four games. This included a finale with three catches for 58 yards against the Seattle Seahawks.
Safety Dallin Leavitt (Michael Gehlken)
Raiders signed rookie S Dallin Leavitt to practice squad, source said. Good spot for him. Can continue development behind only four safeties on 53-man roster.
Leavitt is a strong practice squad signing, especially considering that the Raiders had a plethora of options at safety. The rookie will have a chance to develop on the practice squad and receive a legitimate chance at being on the 53-man roster next season. He totaled 16 combined tackles, one for loss and one pass defensed this preseason.
Wide receiver Saeed Blacknall (Michael Gehlken)
Raiders signed rookie WR Saeed Blacknall onto practice squad, source said. So he and rookie WR Marcell Ateman both make 10-man group. Others include LB Jason Cabinda, TE Paul Butler, S Dallin Leavitt and FB Ryan Yurachek.
The Raiders kept both of their undrafted signings from Penn State, and Blacknall flashed upside at various points through both training camp and preseason play. He saved his best performance for last, catching three passes for 58 yards and one touchdown in against the Seahawks.
Defensive tackle Gabe Wright (SB Nation’s Levi Damien)
#Raiders have added DT Gabe Wright to the practice squad. Signed him recently after being cut by the Dolphins
Gabe Wright was released by the Dolphins following a late hit on running back Kenyan Drake which didn’t go over well with the coaching staff. Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther obviously liked what they saw from Wright during his short period with the team. He was originally claimed off waivers in mid-August.
Guard/Tackle Denver Kirkland (Team)
Defensive back Rico Gafford (Team)
Defensive back Terrell Sinkfield (Team)
Kirkland was a member of the Raiders this preseason and many believed he had a chance to make the 53-man roster. He’ll add depth to the team’s line if needed and is a solid addition. Gafford was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans earlier this offseason and is a rookie out of Wyoming.
Finally, Sinkfield landed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and was with the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants before playing in the Canadian Football League from 2014-16. He spent last season on the New York Jets practice squad.