Getty Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Jon Gruden may have given his Oakland Raiders squad the week off, but there’s no rest for the coach or general manager. Just ahead of the bye week the team has signed Nevin Lawson, who recently finished off a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Lawson spent the offseason with the Raiders and was previously with the Detroit Lions for five seasons.
We have signed Nevin Lawson to the active roster.
More: t.co/6h2INVYKEZ
Lawson brings the secondary a lot of experience as he’s started 54 games in his career. It’s unlikely he’ll unseat Gareon Conley or Daryl Worley as a starter, but he could put the pressure on LaMarcus Joyner, who has struggled thus far. Despite all of Lawson’s starts as a cornerback, he’s never caught an interception in his career. The Raider defense has been picked on by good offenses, so they need as much help as they can get. Lawson is from Jamaica but played his college ball at Utah State. He was a fourth-round pick by the Lion in 2014 and played for them until he was released following the 2018 season.
The team had to waive Lester Cotton Sr. to make room for Lawson on the roster. Cotton, an undrafted free agent out of Alabama, saw his first career NFL action against the Chicago Bears in Week 5 after the team decided to activate him from the practice squad. He didn’t see any playing time, but he was part of the active roster. If he can clear waivers, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Oakland decided to give him his spot back on the practice squad.
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Would Adding Stefon Diggs Make the Raiders Contenders?
Since the Raiders cut Antonio Brown loose, there’s been speculation as to who the team might add to replace him. So far, the team has only made a trade for Trevor Davis, but he’s not a long term solution. One young, talented receiver who may find himself on the trade market is the Minnesota Vikings’ Stefon Diggs. He seems to be unhappy in Minnesota and is ready to move on. The Raiders’ Trent Brown has already made it clear that he wants Diggs to come to the bay area. The problem is, he probably won’t come cheap. It will likely at least take one of the team’s two first-round picks. If the Vikings are willing to make that deal, should Oakland do it?
Even with wins over the Colts and Bears, the offense hasn’t seen big-time production from the wide receiver positions. Tyrell Williams is the top guy, but he’s banged up. Adding a dynamic playmaker like Diggs to the roster could be exactly what the Raiders need. Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs have been carrying the workload through five weeks. Those two have star potential and could put up even bigger numbers if Diggs is there to help spread out the offense. Jon Gruden would probably use one of the first-round picks on a wide receiver, so why not just pick up a young, proven receiver and avoid the risk of the draft altogether? If the Vikings will make the deal for one first-round pick, the Raiders should take the trade.
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