Getty Netane Muti with former Denver Broncos teammates.
The Las Vegas Raiders are having to do some reshuffling to their offensive line. Both Alex Bars and Jermaine Eluemunor got hurt against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14 and it remains to be seen what their statuses are. The New England Patriots defense just got six sacks against the Arizona Cardinals and there’s no doubt Bill Belichick is hoping to have similar success against a banged-up Raiders offensive line.
Las Vegas recently promoted Hroniss Grasu to the active roster and they weren’t done there. According to Mike Klis of 9News, the Raiders have signed offensive guard Netane Muti off of the Denver Broncos practice squad.
Per source, The Raiders are signing guard Netane Muti off Broncos practice squad. #9sports
Muti saw his first action of the season this past Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. He originally came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick out of Fresno State in 2020. He had a strong college career but injuries held him back from being a higher pick. The injury issues have followed him into his NFL career as he’s never been able to earn a full-time starting job with the Broncos. The most notable thing about Muti is his strength. During the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, he bench-pressed 225 pounds 44 times. That was the most of any player that year and the sixth-most ever in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine.
Will Muti Play This Week?
Quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Davante Adams will be thrilled to have another Fresno State Bulldog on the roster. The fact that the Raiders signed him straight to the active roster means they could have plans for him to play. It would be preferable to give him a week or two before they have him play meaningful snaps but the team might not have a choice.
Good offensive linemen aren’t typically available this time of year so the Raiders have to hope that Muti will be a better fit than he was with the Broncos. He definitely has the strength to be a good NFL offensive lineman but he just needs to stay healthy.
Raiders Drop in Power Rankings
After a terrible start to the season, the Raiders started showing signs of life. They ripped off a three-game winning streak and find themselves back in the playoff race. In Week 14, they were facing a bad Rams team that has been devastated by injuries. The Raiders should’ve had an easy win and would’ve still been in the playoff race. Instead, they figured out a way to lose despite having a 13-point lead with less than four minutes left in the game.
Due to the loss, Bleacher Report dropped the Raiders from 19 to 23 in their power rankings:
The Las Vegas Raiders have become the masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
With less than four minutes to go in Thursday’s tilt with a Rams team that entered the week losers of six straight, the Raiders led 16-3. But the Raiders did what the Raiders have continually done this season—blow the lead. As a matter of fact, Thursday marked the fourth time this season that the Raiders have blown a double-digit halftime lead.
No team has ever done that before.