It will come as a disappointment to fans of Last Chance U, but Ronald Ollie’s time as an Oakland Raiders has ended. With his dismissal, the Raiders have added veteran defensive end, Ethan Westbrooks.
The Raiders announce they have signed DL Ethan Westbrooks.
They also waived DL Ronald Ollie and TE Erik Swoope.
Ollie, who is very athletic for his size, was an early fan favorite because of his time as a standout cast member of the previously mentioned Netflix show. He figured to be a big part of HBO’s Hard Knocks because of his experience in front of the cameras, but his role on the show will be very small or nonexistent after this decision. Details of his injury will probably come to light soon, but it will be a situation to monitor. If it’s minor, he’ll have a chance to fight for a spot on another team.
Jon Gruden gave a comment on the decision to let Ollie go.
“I hadn’t seen Ollie do anything,” said Gruden when asked about the defensive tackle. “You know, we need to get something done here. We’re in the business of getting better and Ollie didn’t participate much. Unforntuealy, we chose to go in a different direction.”
Gruden’s comments don’t inspire a lot of confidence in Ollie’s chances to make a team. However, he’s still young and has room to grow.
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Could Another Team Take a Chance on Ollie?
This question will depend heavily on what his injury status is. It wouldn’t be entirely surprising if it’s announced that he’s suffered a pretty bad injury that’ll keep him out for the year. In that situation, the Raiders would probably want to bring him back for next year’s training camp. Hopefully, his injury is not so serious and he’ll be back on a roster in no time. Perhaps he’ll make his way to Oakland’s practice squad at some point. Ollie has an incredibly charming personality and his fellow rookies seemed to enjoy him very much. It’s disappointing that he won’t be a bigger part of Hard Knocks.
It’s hard to say where Ollie could end up. He’s from the south so maybe he’d like to move closer to home. Maybe he could join another former Last Chance U star, Dakota Allen in Los Angeles with the Rams. Ollie showed off impressive athletic traits in pre-draft workouts but was still undrafted. He’s proven that he’s not a quitter and he has the proper athleticism to succeed in the NFL. Time will tell if he gets a fair shot.
Ethan Wesbrooks, not Brian Westbrook
Raiders Press Release – Raiders Sign DT Ethan Westbrooks
Out goes Ollie and in comes Ethan Westbrooks. Not former running a back for the Philadelphia Eagles Brian Westbrook like the Raiders Twitter page had originally stated. Westbrook is entering his sixth year in the NFL, having spent the previous five years with the Rams. He brings solid experience to the Raiders’ young defensive line and has spent a long time lining up next to Aaron Donald, the NFL’s most dominant defensive player. Westbrook will have his work cut out for him trying to make this squad. The Raiders have invested heavily in their defensive line in the last two drafts and the team won’t be eager to get rid of homegrown talent. That being said, the defensive line failed to impress last year. If Westbrook can make some good plays in training camp, he could force out somebody like Eddie Vanderdoes, who has had an injury-plagued career to this point.
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Ronald Ollie Didn’t Impress Jon Gruden in His Time With the Raiders