The NFL season is at its halfway point for the Las Vegas Raiders, and they continue to be in the mix for a playoff spot. With that in mind, they have to make sure to keep working on the roster.
The Raiders’ run defense has been among the worst in the NFL. The 146.4 rushing yards per game they’re allowing is only beaten by the Dallas Cowboys. There’s no obvious fix on the way, but the team is bringing in a new piece.
The Raiders announced that they’ve signed defensive end Anthony Goodlow to the practice squad.
– Signed DE Anthony Goodlow to the practice squad
– Released T Darian Kinnard from the practice squad
#RaiderNation | @RaidersGoodlow came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Los Angeles Rams in 2024. He eventually made his way to the Arizona Cardinals, where he played three games last season. He was briefly on the practice squad for the Carolina Panthers this season before being let go last month.
He still hasn’t had much of a chance to play in the NFL, but he did have 27.5 tackles for loss during his college career, so perhaps he has some upside as a run stuffer. To make room for Goodlow, the Raiders had to release offensive tackle Darian Kinnard. The three-time Super Bowl champion was only with the team for a couple of weeks.
Kirk Cousins Praises Trey Zuhn
The Raiders’ offensive line has had plenty of good and bad moments this season. The pass blocking has been mostly solid, but the run blocking has been as bad as it gets.
The coaching staff decided that rookie Trey Zuhn III should get the start at right guard against the New York Jets in Week 8. For his first start, he played well. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was impressed with the rookie.
“He just did his job,” Cousins said. “I joke with some guys over the years, like (Vikings tackle) Christian Darrisaw, that you don’t even know they’re there. Usually, that’s the best linemen, when you don’t even know they’re there. I didn’t really know Trey was there today, so that’s a good sign. I think he did a great job, especially in his first start.”
Raiders Secondary Needs to Improve
The same can’t be said for the Raiders’ secondary, which was picked on all game by the Jets. Eric Stokes had his worst game as a Raider and Darien Porter had to leave the game early due to injury.
Jermod McCoy did some good things in his first real game action, but the Jets didn’t target him much, as they were picking on Stokes. Though Stokes was bad against the Jets, head coach Klint Kubiak defended the veteran.
“When you play defensive back in the NFL, at some point you’re gonna get beat, but how do you respond when that happens?” Kubiak said. “And when a defensive back gets beat, everybody knows about it. But if a guard loses in the run game, it’s not discussed as much. So you gotta have thick skin, you’ve gotta be able to move on to the next down. And so, I’m really glad we got No. 5.”
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