Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders DL Damion Square.
Last week’s game against the Washington Football Team left the Las Vegas Raiders very banged up. Running back Kenyan Drake had his season ended and three linebackers in Nick Kwiatkoski, Cory Littleton and Denzel Perryman left the game early. Littleton is set to play this week against the Kansas City Chiefs but Perrymand and Kwaitkoski will be out.
The Raiders signed veteran linebacker Will Compton to the practice squad this week. He must have impressed the coaching staff as he’s already been signed to the active roster, the team announced.
We have signed LB Will Compton to the active roster.
We have also activated CB Trayvon Mullen and DT Darius Philon from the Reserve/Injured list, activated WR Tyron Johnson, LB Javin White and RB Trey Ragas from the practice squad and waived DT Damion Square.
Compton was with the team in 2019 so he’s familiar with some of their personnel. However, they have a different defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley. He runs a different system than former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther but his Cover 3 defense is easy for players to pick up. If Compton is active this week, his season debut will be coming against the defending AFC champions in the Chiefs. Not the easiest game to start a season against but the Raiders appear confident that he can help the team on a quick turnaround.
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Damion Square Sent to Waivers
In order to make room for Compton on the active roster, the Raiders cut veteran defensive lineman Damion Square. He was brought to the team after Week 1 when it was revealed that Gerald McCoy was done for the season with an injury. He played in six games for the Raiders and notched 0.5 sacks.
Square became expendable as the team announced that Darius Philon is making his return this week. The former Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle has impressed this season. He’s been very active in the six games he played before going on the Injured Reserve. He had 2.0 sacks in those two games. The Raiders will be happy to have him back. He’s proven to be one of their best pass rushing defensive tackles. He should have a role against the Chiefs this week.
Trayvon Mullen Making His Return
While the Raiders got some bad news regarding their linebackers, they will be thrilled that cornerback Trayvon Mullen will be returning against the Chiefs. He’s been out since Week 4 and the Raiders have struggled to find a consistent replacement. He’s their second-best cornerback behind Casey Hayward. With the team facing Patrick Mahomes, they’ll need all the help on pass defense they can get.
Bradley praised the cornerback ahead of his return.
“He’s very sharp. He understands principles,” Bradley said of Mullen. “He plays at a high speed. As physical traits, he’s got really good length. I think that part of it. Like [Brandon] Facyson has good length and when you have a corner that has length, they trust that they can play at the line of scrimmage more. So, that part of it. He’s sharp. He’s on the details and he really has a sense of confidence, and he brings that to the group.”
The Raiders will need the former second-round pick out of Clemson to make some plays if they hope to turn their season around.
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