Getty Greg Ward #84 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a pass against Madre Harper #45 of the New York Giants.
Though the Las Vegas Raiders were able to cut their roster to less than 53 players on Tuesday, they are far from done making moves. The core of the team is pretty much set but they need to address their depth at several positions. Cornerback was one position group that the team needed to address and they have.
According to Mike Garafolo, the Raiders are signing Madre Harper to the practice squad.
Some fans will recognize the name Harper as he was an undrafted rookie for the team last year. The team hoped to keep him on the practice squad but the New York Giants poached him away. He ended up playing in nine games for them last season, mostly playing on special teams. He was part of the Giants’ final roster cuts on Tuesday.
Though Harper is still a work in progress, he has a ton of potential. The Raiders really liked him last training camp. He’s 6-foot-2 and runs a 4.42 40-yard dash. He certainly has the traits you would like to see from an NFL cornerback and learning under cornerbacks coach Ron Milus could be just what he needs to become a consistent player.
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Raiders Sign Robert Jackson
The Raiders weren’t done adding cornerbacks. The team also signed former Cleveland Browns cornerback Robert Jackson to the practice squad, per Aaron Wilson.
Las Vegas Raiders signing cornerback Robert Jackson to their practice squad, according to a league source
Jackson has been in the NFL since 2018 so he’s not a prospect like Harper is. However, he’s got a decent amount of experience. He played for the Browns over the last three seasons but only saw action in the last two. Over those two seasons, he played in 16 games and mostly played on special teams. It’s unlikely the Raiders brought him in to actually play cornerback but they must like what he can bring to special teams.
While it’s possible that Harper and Jackson end up playing a role for the team this season, it’s unlikely they will be big difference makers.
Raiders add 3rd CB to practice squad
Based on how the practice squad is shaping up, the Raiders could have some concern with their depth at cornerback. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the team also signed Jordan Brown to the practice squad.
FYI: New @Raiders practice squad CB Jordan Brown is participating in practice today. (Looks like 12 of the PS players are here today)
Brown was on the Raiders practice squad during the end of the 2019 season and the beginning of the 2020 season. He eventually made his way to the Washington Football team and spent much of training camp with them this offseason before getting cut last week. Though he was with the Raiders last year, he won’t be familiar with the defense as new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley runs a different system.
While it is notable that the Raiders keep adding cornerbacks, it shouldn’t be cause for concern yet. There hasn’t been any news about injuries to the starters or key depth options. It never hurts to have too many cornerbacks.
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