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The Las Vegas Raiders have decided to add some reinforcements to the offensive line. According to a December 11 X post from Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the team is signing offensive tackle D.J. Fluker to the practice squad.
Fluker was brought in for a workout last week and the Raiders must have seen something that they liked. This will be his second stint with the team as he was on the practice squad for them back in 2021.
He wasn’t on the team with the current coaching staff but there are plenty of players who should remember him. According to Schultz, Fluker has been working to get into better shape and has lost 50 pounds. His most recent listed weight was 342 pounds so it sounds like he’s hovering around 300 pounds right now.
Fluker originally came into the NFL as a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2013. Since then, he’s played for six different teams. He has started 96 games in his career but his last regular season game came back in 2020. He also wasn’t able to make a roster in any capacity next season. At 32, he decided to lean up in an effort to reboot his career. With the Raiders playing his former Chargers team on Thursday, perhaps Fluker will get a chance to show off his new physique in short order.
Kolton Miller Misses Another Practice
The D.J. Fluker is timely as the Raiders are lean at offensive tackle right now. Left tackle Kolton Miller wasn’t able to play in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings coming off of the bye week. He may be out a little longer with the Raiders playing on a short week.
According to the team’s December 11 injury report, Miller did not participate in practice.
Notably, starting center Andre James, who left the Vikings game early with an ankle injury, also wasn’t able to practice. If he can’t play, it’s likely that left guard Dylan Parham will slide over to center.
Thayer Munford replaced Miller as left tackle against the Vikings but that didn’t prove to be a fruitful change. The Raiders offense was shut out in Week 14 as the run game and passing game had no success. That wasn’t entirely on the offensive line but they didn’t play a great game. The Raiders may decide to put Jermaine Eluemunor at left tackle and have Munford slide back over to right tackle if Miller can’t play. It’s also possible that the team may want to give Fluker a chance.
Jermaine Eluemunor Apologizes to Fans
Nothing went right for the Raiders’ offense against the Vikings as the team lost 3-0. The defense put on an excellent performance but couldn’t stop Minnesota from getting to at least three points. The Raiders were at home and gave their worst home performance on offense since moving to Las Vegas.
Jermaine Eluemunor wasn’t happy with how the game went and sent out an apology to fans.
“I’ve really never been a part of a performance like that,” Eluemunor said after the December 10 loss, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “I’m sorry for the fans that came to watch that. They deserve better.”
The Raiders play at home again against the Chargers on Thursday and there doesn’t appear to be an easy fix for the offense.
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