Getty Las Vegas Raiders HC Jon Gruden.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been really busy making a lot of roster moves since the beginning of training camp. One of the earliest moves they made was letting go of defensive end Ade Aruna so they could sign offensive lineman Jordan Roos. After just a couple of weeks, the Raiders announced they are bringing back Aruna.
We have re-signed DE Ade Aruna. #RaiderNation
Aruna came into the NFL in 2018 as a sixth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings. He was brought in by the Raiders late last season and they re-signed him. He has yet to play in an NFL game and will have to battle really hard to make the Las Vegas roster. His best bet will be to try and secure a spot on the practice squad once regular-season rosters are set.
How Long Will Maxx Crosby Be Out?
The decision to bring Aruna back probably has to do with the fact that Maxx Crosby has tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to miss some time. It remains to be seen just how much time he’ll miss. Running back Devontae Booker was on the list for about a week and is already back in action. Crosby addressed the news and revealed he’s feeling okay.
#Raiders DE Maxx Crosby posted this on Instagram:
It’s good news that he’s feeling okay. This isn’t the first time Crosby has had a setback since joining the Raiders. He broke his hand during a preseason game last year and was back in no time. Now, fighting a virus is very different as he won’t be able to come back until he tests negative but hopefully he’s not out for too long. The Raiders have very high hopes from him this year and he could make the leap to Pro Bowl level player
Follow the Heavy on Las Vegas Raiders Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Jon Gruden Talks Linebackers
The Raiders defense was mostly a disaster last year. Outside of some strong performances from rookies like Crosby, the team struggled a lot to stop offenses. A big reason for this was the very poor play at linebacker. The Raiders had failed to address the position for years and continually paid the price for it. However, that shouldn’t be the case anymore as the team invested in revamping the position this offseason. Jon Gruden recently spoked about some of his new linebackers.
“In this game of football we play today, it’s paramount,” Gruden said. “It’s an area we needed to address and fortunately there were some good linebackers available in free agency, and obviously we made that a priority. We’re really happy with [Nick] Kwiatkoski and [Cory] Littleton, but there’s a young kid out of [University] of Nevada Las Vegas, a young undrafted free agent, Javin White.”
The Raiders now have a very promising group of linebackers which is very important considering how many good tight ends are in the AFC West. There are still some question marks on the team’s defense but it’s hard to imagine they aren’t vastly better this year. If the secondary can play up to their potential, the Raiders might actually have a solid defense for the first time in a while.
READ NEXT: Raiders Legend Calls out Derek Carr With Brutally Honest Comments