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Last year, the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL), and they’re starting to land some former NFL players. The Las Vegas Raiders are going to be well-represented in the UFL as a couple of former players recently joined the league.
According to a January 19 announcement of players added to UFL rosters, quarterback Chase Garbers is joining the San Antonio Brahmas and wide receiver Marcell Ateman is joining the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Garbers spent the 2022 season with the Raiders and then spent most of last offseason with the team. He didn’t get a chance to play in any regular season games but he took a lot of snaps in preseason. He was undrafted before joining Las Vegas but his ceiling in the NFL was being a backup. By heading to the UFL, he has a chance to play.
Ateman was a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2018 and played in 19 games for the team. He bounced around the NFL a bit and was with the Battlehawks for a brief period last year. He’ll still have a chance to land on an NFL roster or practice squad at some point but for now, he’ll be able to play some football in the UFL.
Las Vegas Raiders Linked to Olumuyiwa Fashanu in Mock Draft
With the hiring of head coach Antonio Pierce becoming official, the Raiders are set to undergo some serious changes from the Josh McDaniels regime. One group that McDaniels largely ignored during his tenure was the offensive line. The team didn’t use anything higher than a third-round pick on the offensive line and didn’t make any splash signings.
That could change, according to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. He projects the Raiders to select Pen State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu with the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Teams are split on Fashanu,” Jeremiah wrote in his January 19 mock draft. “After a dominant 2022 season, he took a step back in 2023. But the talent is still immense.”
Fashanu was a Consensus All-American in 2023 and may have the most upside of any offensive lineman in the draft. The Raiders could afford to take a risk on a right tackle with huge upside due to Thayer Munford being on the roster. Though he’s not a huge impact player, Munford is solid and would allow the team to bring Fashanu along slowly if he needs time to develop.
Las Vegas Raiders Have Bigger Needs Than OL
The Raiders don’t have an elite offensive line but it’s at least serviceable. Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus ranked Las Vegas’ offensive line as the 10th-best in the NFL for 2023. The team’s biggest hole is at quarterback.
It’ll be difficult to get one of the top guys at No. 13 but if Antonio Pierce is the real deal, who knows if they’ll be able to get a top-10 pick anytime soon. This is the best time for the Raiders to trade up and try to find their franchise quarterback. The cost will likely be great but defensive-minded head coaches like Pierce don’t win Super Bowls without elite quarterbacks. Drafting a quarterback early isn’t a guarantee they’ll be elite but it’s time for the Raiders to take a big swing at the most important position.
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