Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders DB Dallin Leavitt.
The Las Vegas Raiders have kept many players on the roster from the Jon Gruden era but there are a few favorites of the coach who are no longer with the team. They didn’t bring back backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota or Nathan Peterman. Safety Dallin Leavitt joined the team as an undrafted free agent during Gruden’s first season in 2018.
He was able to stick around for the past four seasons and it looked like he would last another when the Raiders re-signed him this offseason. However, with training camp starting, the team has decided to part ways. Leavitt announced the news on his Instagram page.
Leavitt mostly served as a backup and special teams player but was able to step up and play key snaps. In four seasons, he had 56 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He’ll certainly be on the Raiders’ radar should they need a safety later in the season. He could also land with another team due to his experience. He’s only 27 years old and should have plenty left in the tank.
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Maxx Crosby Excited for Training Camp
Expectations for the Raiders this season are the highest they’ve been in years. Despite the high expectations, the team won’t be walking into the playoffs with ease. The AFC West is the toughest division in the NFL and even a 10-win team could miss the postseason this year.
Training camp will be pivotal for Las Vegas this year with a new coaching staff implementing their systems. Defensive end Maxx Crosby is excited about getting back to work with his teammates.
“Last night I’m watching ‘Last Dance’ like I did last year before camp and the year before, it’s the same thing,” Crosby told the media ahead of the first day of training camp. “Just trying to get my mind to a different place because to start training camp you got to be in a different place mentally. It’s here now. It’s super exciting every single year. It’s always a new challenge, new goals, new things going on, but it’s football at the end of the day, so there’s nothing more I’d rather be doing on earth, so we’re fired up.”
Denzel Perryman Compares Training to Camp to 1st Day of School
While there’s a lot of excitement for the start of training camp, there’s also a level of anxiety that comes with it. Though games aren’t being played yet, this is very much the start of the 2022 season. Pro Bowl linebacker Denzel Perryman had a comparison for what the first day of training camp feels like.
“It’s like the first day of school,” Perryman said. “You see everybody, getting around everybody again, starting all over again. I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, but like I said first day of school all over again.”
There has to be an extra level of anxiety due to their being a new coaching staff. Players like Perryman are playing for a new contract this season and want to impress the coaches. It should be an interesting training camp for the Raiders.
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