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This year, the Las Vegas Raiders have mostly kept familiar faces on their practice squad. Due to COVID-19, the group of players the team keeps on will have added importance. While most players on the squad spent time with the team during training camp, the Raiders did announce that they’ve added offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith.
At 6’7, Jones-Smith fits in really well with the group of giant offensive linemen the Raiders have accumulated over the years. He originally came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent who was signed by the Houston Texans. He was with the Miami Dolphins for the 2019 offseason and then was most recently with the San Francisco 49ers.
Jones-Smith played college ball at Pittsburgh but has yet to play in an NFL game. Considering the success the Raiders have had with large offensive linemen, he could be in his best position to thrive yet.
Raiders Protect 4 Practice Squad Players
Thanks to new NFL rules, the Raiders can choose four practice squad players to protect each week. What this means is that other teams can’t sign any of the four players that week which is typically allowed for practice squad players. According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the Raiders protected kicker Dominik Eberle, quarterback DeShone Kizer, linebacker Kyle Emanuel and offensive lineman Erik Magnuson.
With Marcus Mariota on the injured reserve, it makes sense why the team would want to make sure nobody takes Kizer. He’ll have a shot to get promoted to the active roster should Mariota’s recovery take longer than expected. Emanuel will also have a chance to make the roster at some point. He’s got starting experience but missed all of last year because of early retirement. Once he gets a grasp of the defense, he might be able to earn a roster spot. Eberle is probably being kept as insurance in case Daniel Carlson struggles once again. The Raiders can’t afford to have another bad year from the kicker.
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3 Starting Offensive Linemen Land on Injury Report
With Week 1 of the NFL season starting, the Raiders have to be more transparent about injuries. The team released their first injury report on Wednesday which offered some insight on the health level of some players. After keeping vague about Trent Brown’s injury, the Raiders revealed that the Pro Bowler was limited in practice due to a calf injury. He missed a number of practices during training camp and it’s likely that it was because of the calf.
Both Richie Incognito and Rodney Hudson missed practice on Wednesday but the team said it wasn’t injury-related. Incognito and Hudson are grizzled veterans who are very tough. They probably just got the day off and there’s no way either of them are missing Week 1. The offensive line is arguably the team’s greatest strength. They’re going to need the group to stay healthy if they hope to win a lot of games.
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