Getty The Oakland Raiders are hoping Dion Jordan can give them a boost.
The Oakland Raiders are making moves.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Raiders signed former No. 3 overall draft pick Dion Jordan and waived backup linebacker Quentin Poling.
In the process, they also officially placed safety Karl Joseph on injured reserve, who suffered a foot injury during the team’s victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
Raiders have signed free agents DE Dion Jordan and S D.J. Swearinger. To make room, Raiders placed S Karl Joseph on the Reserve/Injured List and waived LB Quentin Poling.
Raiders Hoping Dion Jordan Solves Pass-Rushing Dilemma
Jordan is best known for his four-season tenure with the Miami Dolphins, where he was the No. 3 overall draft pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6 defensive end never lived up to expectations, as he mustered just three sacks during his first two seasons in the NFL. His career stalled in 2015 when he was handed a 15-month suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance abuse policy.
The University of Oregon product would eventually latch on with the Seattle Seahawks where he spent the past two seasons as a reserve defensive end. In 17 appearances and three starts with the Seahawks, Jordan 40 total tackles and 5.5 sacks.
The Raiders only have 20 sacks this season which are tied for 21st-best in the league. Obviously, that mark is a lot better than the 13 sacks that they racked up as a unit last season — dead-last in the league by a 17-sack margin — but Oakland still desperately needs a pass rusher if they want to take that next step.
Obviously, they’re hoping Jordan will help solve that problem.
As far as Joseph is concerned, the 26-year-old had served as the team’s starting strong safety this season, racking up 49 tackles and one interception in nine games and eight starts. Joseph underwent an MRI on Friday. Obviously, the results weren’t good.
Mike Mayock: The Raiders Are Not a Great Team
Despite beating a tough divisional rival and remaining in the race for the AFC West division title, the Raiders are not a great team, according to team general manager Mike Mayock.
“On the positive side, Rich, I think we’ve got a group of kids that compete and that’s the most important thing to me as we’re trying to build a foundation,” Mayock said to Eisen. “But we’re 5-4. We’re not a great football team by any stretch. We’ve got a long way to go.”
Mayock also didn’t want to get too excited over the prospect of the Raiders clinching a playoff berth this season despite the fact that they’re just a half-game behind the Indianapolis Colts for the final seed in the AFC playoffs. The Raiders also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of defeating the Colts earlier this season.
“I’m not worried about playoffs, I’m not worried about records,” said Mayock. “I’m worried about this young team keeping their focus and just trying to get a tiny bit better every single day.”
The Raiders face teams with losing records in five of their last seven games of the season — in other words, if they don’t clinch a playoff berth, it would be a major disappointment — contrary to what Mayock says.
Obviously, Mayock is trying to lessen the pressure for his young squad. But the objective for the Raiders remains clear — clinch a postseason berth.