The focus of free agency so far for the Las Vegas Raiders has been adding players but as the team adds players, they’ll need to let some go. The team has already been undergoing some major roster changes under new general manager Dave Ziegler. There aren’t many players from last season who are safe from getting cut.
In the latest wave of cuts under the new regime, the Raiders waived safety Jordan Brown, defensive tackle P.J. Johnson and offensive tackle William Sweet while releasing safety Natrell Jamerson and wide receiver Javon Wims. Brown has bounded on and off the team’s roster for years but never had a chance to play a regular season game. Johnson and Wims were members of the Raiders’ practice for portions of last season. Sweet and Jamerson were signed this offseason prior to Ziegler getting hired.
None of these players took snaps for the Raiders last season so the team isn’t losing any impact players. Considering they were all part of the previous regime, it’s hard to imagine any of them will be brought back.
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Raiders Re-sign Jermaine Eluemunor
Ziegler hasn’t made an effort to re-sign many of the Raiders’ free agents. One player who always had the upper hand over his fellow free agents was Jermaine Eluemunor. The veteran offensive lineman spent two seasons with the New England Patriots under new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. He even started eight games at right tackle for the team in 2020. With right tackle still being a major question mark for Las Vegas, the team decided to re-sign Eluemunor.
This is a logical move for the Raiders as Eluemunor knows the offense that McDaniels is going to run and has previously worked with offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. The veteran played in some games for the team and even got a few starts at guard before they reshuffled the offensive line. He’ll have a much better chance to start now that he has a coaching staff that’s familiar with him.
Is Offensive Line Still a Concern?
The Raiders have made some great moves this offseason. Landing Davante Adams and Chandler Jones help the team in a number of major ways. However, it’s quite concerning how little urgency the team has shown in addressing the offensive line. Outside of left tackle Kolton Miller, there are question marks at every position.
The Raiders have yet to make a notable addition and fans weren’t too pleased to see Brandon Parker re-signed. The former third-round pick has played a lot of games for the team but was Pro Football Focus‘ 76th ranked tackle in the NFL last season. If Denzelle Good recovers properly, he’ll be a solid option at one of the guard spots. Perhaps the team is confident that 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood can take a leap in Year 2. It’s certainly risky as the Raiders allowed 40 sacks last season. If the team wants the Derek Carr-Adams connection to be dynamic, the quarterback is going to need some time to throw.
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Raiders Cut 5 Players, Including Veteran WR