Getty Las Vegas Raiders LS Trent Sieg.
The Las Vegas Raiders are likely done making any big moves this free agency period, but that doesn’t mean they’re done making moves. They still need to try and lock up a few key veterans. The team announced on its website Friday that they’ve re-signed long snapper Trent Sieg.
Sieg was originally brought in to replace an injured Andrew DePaola in 2018. Once DePaola got healthy, it was figured he’d get the starting gig back, but Sieg ended up beating him out. DePaola was eventually cut and it appears Sieg is the long snapper of the future.
Jon Condo was the Raiders’ long snapper for many years until 2018. He was replaced by DePaola and then made his way to the Atlanta Falcons. He had a brief stop with the San Francisco 49ers, but only played one game before deciding to retire. The Raiders will hope that Sieg can bring the kind of stability that Condo brought the team for over a decade.
Raiders Make More Transactions Official
The Raiders really are dragging their feet on making a number of signings official. They clearly like to march to the beat of their own drum. In addition to the Sieg signing, the team made the signings of Nick Kwiatkoski, Jeff Heath and Carl Nassib official.
Strangely, the Raiders haven’t announced anything on social media or done any sort of conference call to announce their signings. Obviously, these are unprecedented times, so the team could be focusing on more important issues. At some point, Las Vegas will do a big announcement of all of its free-agent signings. It remains to be seen if the NFL will make them do any sort of press conference.
Maliek Collins is the most notable player that has reportedly signed, but the Raiders haven’t made official yet. It’s highly unlikely anything has happened that has caused his signing not to go through. The team will probably make the move official within the next week.
Follow the Heavy Las Vegas Raiders page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Any Other Veterans Returning for Raiders?
Sieg was just one of the many free-agent veterans the Raiders have, but the team doesn’t seem too inclined to bring others back. As Vic Tafur of The Athletic recently explained why the team is favoring new guys over bringing back 2019 players:
New defensive line coach Rod Marinelli has nudged his buddy Jon Gruden to get three defensive linemen in free agency — Nassib and tackles Maliek Collins and Daniel Ross — and now the money is gone. They could revisit later — same with running back DeAndré Washington and linebacker Will Compton — but that looks like a long shot right now.
It is a bit of a surprise how quickly the Raiders been to give up on so many players from last season. Daryl Worley was the team’s CB1 for most of the season and he hasn’t signed anywhere yet. Considering they didn’t find a CB1 in free agency, it seems strange they wouldn’t bring him back on a minimum salary if he’d take it. It’s clear the team is looking for a fresh start on the defensive side of the ball. Based on how they’ve played the last couple of seasons, it could be what they need.
READ NEXT: Raiders’ Derek Carr Makes Strong Statement About 2020 Season