Getty New Las Vegas Raiders CB Cornell Armstrong.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been dealing with injuries at cornerback and they didn’t have David Long Jr., Nate Hobbs or Jakorian Bennett for their Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers. With that in mind, the team announced on October 10 that it had signed veteran cornerback Cornell Armstrong to the practice squad.
We have signed CB Cornell Armstrong to the practice squad.
In a corresponding move, we have released CB Rezjohn Wright and WR Marquez Callaway from the practice squad.
Armstrong has been in the NFL since he was a sixth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2018. He played 15 games with Miami as a rookie before moving on to the Houston Texans, where he played in 15 games across two seasons.
He spent the last two years with the Atlanta Falcons but didn’t see action with until last season, when he played in nine games, including four starts. He showed some ball skills last season, tallying seven passes defended. The Raiders are thin at cornerback because of injuries, so there’s a good chance Armstrong could see playing time in the near future. He has some experience with Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, with whom he worked on the Dolphins in 2019 before being a preseason cut.
Rezjohn Wright & Marquez Callaway Released
To make room for Armstrong, the Raiders released cornerback Rezjohn Wright and wide receiver Marquez Callaway. Wright was an intriguing cornerback, but as a rookie, he didn’t have the experience that Armstrong does.
The Raiders have been able to stay relatively healthy at wide receiver, so Callaway, who appeared in 42 games across three seasons for the New Orleans Saints, was more expendable. The leading receiver for the Saints in 2021 had yet to play a game this season and now will have to find a new team if he hopes to.
Amik Robertson Steps Up for Las Vegas Raiders
At 5-foot-8, Amik Robertson is one of the shortest players in the NFL and has managed to make the Raiders’ active roster in each of his four years in the league. Though he hasn’t developed into a consistent starter, he’s shown flashes every year that he can be a good player.
Robertson may be the reason the Raiders beat the Packers in Week 5. He made a great adjustment to intercept a Jordan Love pass in the end zone with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter to seal the Raiders’ 17-13 win. The intended wide receiver, Christian Watson, is 6-foot-4, but Robertson was able to maneuver in front of him upon seeing that the ball was underthrown.
“I knew they were going to test me,” Robertson said in his October 9 postgame media availability. “I wanted the ball.”
Head coach Josh McDaniels had some high praise for Robertson.
“Amik just finds the ball. The ball finds Amik or Amik finds the ball. One or the other,” McDaniels said in his postgame press conference. “He’s such a tough, scrappy guy. He plays multiple positions for us every single week. Ready to go at star inside, corner outside, plays in all the kicking units, plays gunner. He’s just in the right situation, he’s in the right position at the right time and then he makes a great play and ends the game for us. Just really happy for Amik.”
Because of his size, Robertson has always played with a chip on his shoulder, and he was able to show the world in prime time that he’s capable of competing against players much bigger than him.
“I wanted to be the reason,” Robertson said. “I wanted to show the world who I am and that I can be a starter in this league.”