Getty Josh McDaniels (left) and Nesta Jade Silvera, who made Raiders news with his criticism of McDaniels in Week 9.
Back in early November, in the first game after the Raiders’ firing of Josh McDaniels, rookie defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera made some Raiders news for the shot he took at his former coach. McDaniels was cut loose on Halloween, along with general manager Dave Ziegler, and Antonio Pierce took over as the interim.
Silvera had played just eight snaps on defense all season, in Week 4 against the Chargers.
What’d I say every week so far?! FREE 99 #RaiderNation
“Hey, why these f***ing n***** have me on the bench so long?” Silvera said on an Instagram Live feed after the Raiders drubbed the Giants, 30-6, in Week 9. “Shout out AP.”
Indeed, Silvera played 16 snaps against the Giants that week. Alas, Silvera has not played since. In fact, on Wednesday, the Raiders news feed announced he had been cut.
“We have waived DT Nesta Jade Silvera. Additionally, we have signed DT Marquan McCall to the practice squad and released CB Troy Pride from the practice squad,” the team account posted on Twitter/X.
We have waived DT Nesta Jade Silvera.
Additionally, we have signed DT Marquan McCall to the practice squad and released CB Troy Pride from the practice squad.
Raiders News: Nesta Jade Silvera 1st 2023 Draftee to Be Cut
It is unclear whether Silvera’s release has anything to do with the video of him talking about McDaniels. Certainly, it is suspicious that he got a chance against the Giants, then did not play again after that–he is the first member of the 2023 class to be cut. But that could simply be a matter of performance.
He was, after all, only a seventh-round pick last year, and though his scouting profile at NFL.com had some praise for his ability, he was viewed as a late-round pick whose NFL career would project to be as an, “Average Backup Or Special-Teamer.”
Here’s what analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about Silvera before the draft: “Interior plugger set for duties as a nose tackle in a 4-3 front. Silvera is fairly nimble and can get into blockers quickly. He plays with knockback power and can hold his ground against single blockers. He struggles to feel and respond to down blocks. Also, he has trouble reading and reacting to lateral steps looking to seal him behind the play. Silvera has talent and is very active. He could make noise in camp as a late-round pick or priority free agent.”
Ties to Raiders’ Antonio Pierce Helped
Long before this latest Raiders news, Silvera was picked up late in the draft on Pierce’s advice. Silvera transferred from Miami to Arizona State for his senior year, while Pierce was still on staff with the Sun Devils. Pierce was instrumental in his recruitment.
Pierce left Arizona State for the Raiders before he had the chance to coach Silvera, who went on to a successful season in Tempe—he had career highs in tackles (56), pass deflections (3) and sacks with 1.5. After the 2023 draft, Ziegler said that the Pierce-Silvera connection was one reason the Raiders added him.
“Sometimes these guys that are transferring and things like that can get lost in the shuffle a little bit, but Antonio Pierce knew him from his recruiting days while he was at Arizona State,” Ziegler said in May, per the Raiders website. “There were some connections for us just to learn a little bit about his journey, learn about who he was and he was also a guy we brought in for 30 visit. We got to spend some time with him in the building and, yeah, really excited that he was there.”