Should the Raiders Take a Chance on Rolando McClain?

Getty Former Raiders LB Rolando McClain.

It wasn’t long ago that the Raiders made former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain the eighth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The pick of McClain wasn’t considered a bad one at the time considering he won the Butkus Award for the nation’s best linebacker his last year at Alabama. The Raiders had a giant hole at middle linebacker heading into the 2010 season and McClain seemed like a perfect fit. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and McClain struggled during his three seasons in Oakland. He was eventually let go after a series of incidents, including him getting kicked out of practice.

Once he was done in Oakland, McClain made his way to Baltimore to get a fresh start with the Ravens. However, he retired before he played a game. He was only 23 at the time. After taking a year off, the Dallas Cowboys traded for his rights. The move paid off and McClain actually played well in his first season in Dallas. Despite that early success, he started to get in trouble again as he was suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He received a third violation midway through the 2016 season and was suspended indefinitely. He has not seen the field since.

McClain Attempting a Comeback

Though he’s missed three seasons in a row, McClain isn’t content with staying off the field forever. According to Matt Zenitz at AL.com, McClain wants to get back on an NFL roster.

“Every time I got in my linebacker position, it was bone on bone grind,” said McClain while speaking to Zenitz. “Not only do I feel good, I’m recovered and I’m rested. I feel better now because I know I’ll be playing with two legs.”

McClain also told AL.com that he’s been in contact with the NFLPA about getting reinstated. Considering the NFLPA can sometimes take their time making these decisions, it’s not safe to assume that they’ll reinstate McClain anytime soon. Especially since he was arrested for drug and firearm charges as recently as 2017. Even if he were to get reinstated, he’s going to have a really hard time finding a team that will take a chance on him.

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Should the Raiders Take a Chance on Rolando McClain?

The Raiders have had inconsistent linebacker play for a really long time at this point. They’ve tried to remedy this by bringing in former all-pro Vontaze Burfict and former Denver Bronco Brandon Marshall. Burfict has his own issues, so it’s impossible to know how long he’ll last before he finds himself in trouble. Marshall and second-year Raider Tahir Whitehead are solid players and the Raiders look like they may have a better linebacking crew than they have had in a while. If McClain were to get reinstated and Burfict found himself injured or suspended, the temptation to add a fresh McClain may be there.

McClain is still only 29, so he likely still has juice in the tank. However, he was really bad as a Raider and wasn’t on the field enough for the Cowboys to show that he could be a consistent asset. While the Raiders could always use more talent on the defense after a few down years, there is already enough potential drama on the roster and adding McClain could lead to serious issues. Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden should avoid McClain at all costs.

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