The Oakland Raiders may be relatively healthy on the defensive line, but they could be interested in adding more players, specifically at defensive tackle. Johnathan Hankins and Maurice Hurst have been solid for most of the season. P.J. Hall isn’t on the field as often, but he still makes plays from time to time. Despite having some solid contributors, the team has worked out a couple of defensive tackles, according to Aaron Wilson.
Raiders worked out P.J. Johnson, Joey Mbu former @UHCougarFB
P.J. Johnson was a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft but was cut before the season started. He played college football at Arizona and has yet to play a regular-season game in the NFL.
The other player the Raiders worked out has more experience. Joey Mbu was an undrafted free agent in 2015 and signed with the Atlanta Falcons where he played in two games during his rookie season. Since then, he’s bounced around quite a bit. He’s spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins. The only one of those teams he’s seen the field with was the Indianapolis Colts. He played seven games for them in 2017.
He currently finds himself in the XFL as a member of the New York Guardians. If he doesn’t get an offer from the Raiders, he’ll still have a spot with them.
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Maxx Crosby 3rd in Sacks Among Rookies
Despite being mostly ineffective for the first few weeks of the season, Maxx Crosby has become close to unblockable. He’s currently only behind Nick Bosa and Josh Allen by 0.5 sacks for the NFL lead among rookies. If it wasn’t for a ridiculous penalty in the game against the New York Jets, he’d lead them all with 8.5.
Crosby’s stats are even more impressive considering he didn’t get a sack until Week 5 of the season. Even though he’s a rookie, the argument could be made that he’s the team’s best defensive player. He’s constantly generating pressure and has completely outshined fellow rookie Clelin Ferrell. The scary thing is that he keeps getting better. Mike Mayock found an absolute steal in Crosby.
Raiders Aren’t Looking for Outside WR Help
In the midst of the Hunter Renfrow injury, the Raiders announced that they promoted Rico Gafford from the practice squad. There’s been no announcement of Renfrow heading to the injured reserved, so there remains hope he’ll return this season. Jon Gruden talked about Renfrow’s status after Wednesday’s practice.
“Right now we’re listing him as week-to-week,” said Gruden. “We’re not going to mess around with the rib, lung area. Right now, he won’t play against the Chiefs. I know he wants to play. He feels good, but until we get the green light from the training staff, he won’t play.”
Gafford is a temporary solve if Renfrow is going to miss significant time. If the rookie is done for the year, the team should consider adding some free agent talent. Dez Bryant is still out there and he could be a difference-maker in a potential playoff run. It seems unlikely at this point, but nobody would deny that the Raiders have struggled at wide receiver all season and could use help.
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Raiders Work out Former Colts & Lions Defensive Linemen: Report