Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
With the season effectively being over for the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s time to let some banged-up players take the rest of the year off. There’s nothing left to play for so there’s no reason to put players at risk. Unfortunately for the team, some of their top defensive players got seriously hurt during their matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman was forced to leave the game early after diving for a loose ball. He went straight to the locker room and it was later revealed that he suffered a dislocated shoulder. According to The Score’s Jordan Schultz, Perryman is getting shut down for the final two games of the season.
This is a big blow for the Raiders as Perryman has been one of the only playmakers on defense. He’s tied for the team lead in interceptions with two and is tied for ninth in the NFL with 14 tackles for loss. Despite his noted issues in coverage, Perryman has been a very good player since the team traded for him before the start of last season. This is a disappointing development for the veteran who has often dealt with injuries throughout his career. He’s headed for free agency in the offseason and the Raiders should do what they can to bring him.
Raiders Sign Harvey Langi to the Active Roster
The loss of Perryman is made worse by the fact that the Raiders have already dealt with injuries at linebacker. Divine Deablo and Jayon Brown are currently on Injured Reserve and Blake Martinez retired in the middle of the season. That means four linebackers who have started games for the team won’t be around to finish the season.
The Raiders had to quickly add a replacement for Perryman and luckily, they had a solid option already on the practice squad. According to agent Kenny Zuckerman, Las Vegas is signing Harvey Langi from the practice squad to the active roster.
.@Raiders sign @LANGI21 to the active roster #NFL @PrioritySports
Langi was just signed to the practice squad last week so it didn’t take long for him to get promoted. The veteran linebacker played with the New England Patriots for two seasons so he understands what kind of operations Josh McDaniels and Patrick Graham are running. However, he’s only started 10 games in his career. The Raiders may look to add another veteran linebacker once they officially announce Perryman is done for the year.
Any Update on Chandler Jones?
The Raiders haven’t offered up much in regard to the status of Chandler Jones. The veteran defensive end was carted off the field against the Steelers with an elbow injury. It looked very serious and Jones has had serious injuries in the past. The team hasn’t made anything official but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is predicting Jones to be done for the year.
There’s no reason to keep playing Jones going forward even if he isn’t seriously hurt. He’s one of the oldest players on the team at 32 and still has two years left on his contract after the season. It’s best to make sure he gets healthy in time for the start of next season. It remains to be seen what his timeline for recovery will be.