The Las Vegas Raiders are about to face one of their toughest tests of the season with the New Orleans Saints coming to town. Drew Brees leads a high powered offense and their defense is almost just as good. Basically, the Raiders will need all the help they can get to pull off a win. Las Vegas could be trying to get some intel on the team based on a recent signing.
The team announced Saturday that they’ve signed former Saints offensive guard Patrick Omameh to the practice squad.
We have signed G Patrick Omameh to the practice squad.
In a corresponding move, we have placed WR Marcell Ateman on the practice squad-injured list.
Omameh only started one game for the Saints last year but played in 14. He spent one season with the team so he won’t have a ton of intel but he should be a little helpful for the defense. This is his seventh season in the NFL and has played in Tampa Bay, Chicago, Jacksonville and New York. He’s started 57 games in his career so he’s a solid depth pickup for the Raiders considering the injuries they’ve already had to deal with.
Marcell Ateman on Injured List
With the signing of Omameh, the Raiders have to move wide receiver Marcell Ateman to the practice squad-injured list. Ateman has stuck around the team for a few years now and has been promoted to the active roster a couple of times. He’s an important member of the practice squad due to his familiarity with the system.
There was no specifics on what ails him but the Raiders will hope that he’s better soon. He’d be a very strong candidate to get promoted if another wide receiver gets injured.
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Jon Gruden Is Very Familiar With Sean Payton
It looks like the Raiders are getting some insight on the Saints with their recent signing but Jon Gruden already knows a lot about the Saints’ head coach. Gruden and Sean Payton used to coach together back in the day. Gruden was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997 while Payton served as quarterbacks coach.
“[Payton and I] had a blast in Philadelphia,” Gruden said Thursday. “Ray Rhodes made me hire Sean because I was yelling too much, so Sean came to calm me down. Brought us a lot of fresh ideas. David Shaw was there as a quality control man. We used to stay up late at night trying to figure out how to get a first down. Those were great, growing years for all three of us. I’m fortunate to have bumped into those guys.”
Both men have both won Super Bowls since their days in Philly. They’ve also both changed a lot over the years. The Raiders and Saints have high-powered offenses thanks to their head coaches. What sets the Saints apart right now is that they have a really strong defense, led by former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen. There are a lot of connections between the two teams and it should be an explosive game to open up Allegiant Stadium.
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Raiders Sign Ex-Saints OL Ahead of Matchup, Place WR on Injured List