Getty Kenny Young tackling Travis Kelce.
Two of the biggest surprises of training camp for the Las Vegas Raiders were undrafted rookie linebackers Darien Butler and Luke Masterson. They quickly impressed the coaching staff and earned spots on the active roster despite the team having a number of veteran linebackers. One of the linebackers the Raiders had to cut was Kenny Young.
The former Los Angeles Ram and Denver Bronco has played in 59 games over his career, starting 25 of them. His experience wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the Raiders roster but he’s quickly found a new home. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that they’ve signed Young to their last open practice squad spot.
We’ve signed ILB Kenny Young, filling the last spot on our practice squad.
Being on the practice squad isn’t ideal for a player with as much experience as Young but some players have to take what they can get. There will be opportunities for him to get promoted to the active roster throughout the season. At the very least, he gets to play for a contender.
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Masterson Talks Making the Roster
Heading into training camp, very few would’ve thought that Masterson had a chance at making the active roster. Undrafted rookies have a hard time making rosters and typically get stashed on the practice squad. Masterson is going to get the chance to make an impact immediately. He put in the work this offseason and it certainly paid off.
“I just took it day by day, let the cards fall how they do,” Masterson said of working to earn a roster spot, via Raiders.com. “I’m really proud of the guys for going out and fighting hard today, we all had a ton of fun out there together. Throughout this whole camp, I think we’ve just gotten better every day, really taking pride in getting each other, keeping each other up and taking it day by day. I’m proud of those guys, for sure.”
The former Wake Forest standout will have to prove himself on special teams before he gets meaningful snaps on defense but this is a great start for him.
Raiders Looking at More LBs
While Masterson and Butler are on the team right now, they can’t feel too comfortable right now. The Raiders may want to make more moves and they could be among the first players to get cut if there are additions. It won’t make them feel better to know that the team recently worked out linebackers Reggie Ragland and Alec Ogletree, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
The Raiders tried out veteran LBs Alec Ogletree and Reggie Ragland, who both played for DC Patrick Graham last season. They also tried out DBs TJ Carrie and Jarren Williams.
Ogletree is a former first-round pick and All-Pro player while Ragland is a former Alabama star and second-round pick. They both have much higher pedigrees than Butler or Masterson. That said, the Raiders still haven’t signed either which bodes well for the two rookies. Las Vegas likes Masterson and Butler so they won’t cut them unless they know that they have better options. At the very least, both would have spots on the practice squad if they were cut.
READ NEXT: Legendary QB Quits Raiders After Feeling Unwanted: ‘Don’t Think I’m Needed Here’
Follow @austincjboyd on Twitter for all the latest Las Vegas Raiders breaking news, rumors, fresh takes, and more!