Getty New Las Vegas Raiders DL Jerry Tillery.
This has been the case for two decades now but once again the Las Vegas Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The pass rushing duo of Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones was supposed to hide some of the deficiencies on the roster but that hasn’t been the case. Jones hasn’t even recorded a full sack this season and the team is last in the league in sacks.
The Raiders have gotten no pass rush from their defensive tackles this season with not a single one getting a sack. The team has inexplicably decided against bringing in a defensive tackle with some pass rush juice until now. Las Vegas announced that they have claimed former Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Jerry Tillery off of waivers.
We have claimed DL Jerry Tillery via waivers » t.co/yf2sBHR3k5
Tillery came into the NFL as a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2019 and started 29 games for them over the past four seasons. He was recently waived by the team and the Raiders were able to land him due to their high priority on the waiver wire. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Las Vegas actually tried to trade for Tillery at the deadline but wasn’t able to make a deal. They now are able to land him without having to give anything up.
Jerry Tillery Has Upside as a Pass Rusher
The Chargers weren’t the only team to recently waive a 2019 first-round pick as the Raiders just did the same thing to safety Johnathan Abram, who got claimed by the Green Bay Packers. However, Tillery has been more productive than Abram in his career. He’s a versatile defensive lineman as he has played both defensive end and defensive tackle. It remains to be where the Raiders envision him playing but it seems wise to put him on the inside.
Tillery hasn’t lived up to his draft status but he does bring some pass rush juice. He has 10.5 career sacks and his 1.0 sack this season is more than any Raiders defensive lineman not named Maxx Crosby. He’ll get a chance early on to take a lot of snaps if he can provide some pass rush. This season is lost for the Raiders but Tillery could audition for a spot next season if he can make some plays over the second half of the year.
Why Was Jerry Tillery Let Go by Chargers?
Tillery was a well-liked player on the Chargers and they specifically turned down trade offers in hopes he would be a useful player to have down the stretch. However, he apparently started to become a headache for the team and it was best for them to move on.
“There’s a point in relationships like this where you’ve got to move on and it’s best for both people to move on,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said, via ESPN.
Staley elaborated and explained why exactly the two sides needed to separate.
“Competing visions for the role moving forward and it just became clear that it wasn’t going to be a fit anymore,” Staley said when asked what changed since the trade deadline. “Where we’re headed as a team wasn’t going to be compatible with Jerry and where he’s trying to go.”