Getty New Las Vegas Raiders CB Stanford Samuels.
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to open up nearly $20 million in salary-cap space on June 2 but that hasn’t stopped them from making moves now. The roster will mostly be the same as the team heads into training camp but the team has been tinkering a bit. This time of year, they’ve mostly been focused on bringing in young players.
The Raiders announced that they’ve signed tight end Travis Koontz, cornerback Stanford Samuels III and offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
We have signed TE Travis Koontz, CB Stanford Samuels III and T Tyrone Wheatley Jr. » t.co/VNsCNZMNW1
Koontz is the only rookie of the bunch as he went undrafted out of Texas Tech. During his three years in college, he accumulated 45 receptions for 647 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end is a position group that the Raiders are pretty stacked at. Darren Waller is one of the best players at the position in the NFL while Foster Moreau is a very good No. 2 option. The team also has Nick Bowers and Jacob Hollister on the roster, who both have experience playing in NFL games. Koontz will have to fight hard to earn a spot on the roster or practice squad.
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Samuels Spent Last Season With Packers
Samuels is another young player at 23-years-old but he’s been in the NFL for a couple of years now. He was undrafted coming out of Florida State in 2020 before getting picked up by the Green Bay Packers, eventually making their practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for two games during the 2020 season and made three combined tackles in those appearances.
Samuels wasn’t on a roster for most of last season until the Chicago Bears signed him to the practice squad late in the season. He wasn’t brought back and hasn’t found another spot on a roster until now. The Raiders will have opportunity at cornerback with the decision to not spent big on the position in free agency. Samuels could have a chance to at least make the practice squad this season.
Latest on James Bradberry
Once the New York Giants released cornerback James Bradberry, the Raiders were immediately linked due to the fact that he was previously coached by defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. However, Bradberry has been a very popular name for a number of teams. Pro Bowl cornerbacks don’t typically become available this late in free agency.
The fact that Bradberry still remains unsigned is good news for the Raiders. They can’t afford to pay him until June 2 but there have been multiple reports stating that the team does have an interest. Las Vegas is at a disadvantage right now as there are other teams with cap space that could sign him now. If Bradberry can be patient and wait until the Raiders clear some cap space, then he’ll be able to reunite with Graham. It remains to be seen if he’s truly interested in the silver and black but the longer he stays in free agency, the chances grow that he ends up with the Raiders.
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Raiders Sign Rookie TE & Ex-Packers CB