Getty New Las Vegas Raiders DE Isaac Rochell.
Wednesday was an extremely busy news day for the Las Vegas Raiders with the announcement that quarterback Derek Carr had been benched. What was overshadowed were some notable roster moves. Chandler Jones and Denzel Perryman both had to leave the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers early due to injuries.
It was assumed that they’d be done for the year with just two games left. The Raiders made it official by sending both Perryman and Jones to Injured Reserve.
We have signed DE Isaac Rochell and LB Harvey Langi to the active roster and placed DE Chandler Jones and LB Denzel Perryman on the Reserve/Injured List.
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It was known that the Raiders were replacing Perryman with veteran linebacker Harvey Langi. The team also revealed Jones’ replacement in defensive end Isaac Rochell, who Las Vegas poached off of the Cleveland Browns practice squad. Some Raiders players should be familiar with Rochell as he spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2020. He mostly played defensive tackle for the Chargers but is coming to the Raiders as a defensive end. The team could have plans to move him inside while keeping Clelin Ferrell on the outside.
Rochell hasn’t gotten a sack in the past two seasons but he had 9.5 with the Chargers in four seasons. He has some ability to get after the passer. Rochell was signed straight to the active roster so he should have a chance to play some snaps over the final two games, which will be an audition for a roster spot next season.
Raiders Sign DL to Practice Squad, Cut Veteran WR
While the Raiders made some moves on the active roster, they also switched some things on the practice squad. The team announced the signing of defensive lineman Trent Harris to the practice squad. Harris is a logical signing for the Raiders. He’s spent the last three years playing under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for both the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. He should be quite familiar with the defensive system that he runs. He’s only played in 19 career games but Graham clearly is a fan of his.
To make room for Harris, the Raiders had to cut wide receiver Albert Wilson off of the practice squad. The team has cut and signed Wilson a few times this season. He even had a brief stint on the active roster. With the Raiders’ wide receivers healthy right now, they didn’t have a need for a veteran wide receiver on the practice squad for the last two weeks of the season.
Time for Clelin Ferrell & Malcolm Koonce to Step Up
Jones has played 78% of defensive snaps for the Raiders defense this season while Maxx Crosby has played 96%. There haven’t been many chances for other defensive ends on the roster to make an impact. Clelin Ferrell is on an expiring contract and hasn’t had a great season statically. He has just a single sack this season. That said, he played very well in relief of Jones against the Steelers. If he looks great these last two weeks, the Raiders could consider bringing him back.
A very interesting player to watch in the final two games is Malcolm Koonce. He’s been on the outside looking in this season and doesn’t have a sack. He’s also only played 5% of the defensive snaps. The Raiders would be wise to see what they have in him as a pass rushing specialist. If he can’t show the team much, there’s a chance he won’t be back next year.
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Raiders Sign Replacement for Injured Star, Cut Veteran WR