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The Las Vegas Raiders have been busy making roster moves ahead of the playoffs. One of the notable moves they made was cutting veteran linebacker Will Compton. He was cut last week but quickly re-signed. Unfortunately, they had to cut him again despite his status as a fan favorite.
Turns out he’s not only loved by the fans but also by his teammates. Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby wants the Raiders to re-sign Compton for the team’s playoff run.
Las Vegas is full at linebacker right now so there isn’t room for Compton. He’d likely be the first player they call if there’s an injury but with the playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals closing in, he won’t be getting the call this week. If the Raiders win, that opens up the door for a return. He’s mostly a special teams play but did start for games for the team in 2019. He can play a bit of defense if the Raiders needed him to.
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Nicholas Morrow Ruled out vs. Bengals
A reason why Compton was let go was due to the return of Nicholas Morrow. The veteran linebacker didn’t play a single game all season after getting hurt in training camp. The Raiders designated him for return this week, which opened the door for him to play against the Bengals. However, that’s not going to happen. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia ruled out Morrow and had a chance to discuss his return.
“He didn’t get many reps today,” Bisaccia said of Morrow. “He got a little bit with some of the show team, not many, a little bit with some of the show kicking game, but we’ll see what his soreness level is today. He really didn’t get many yesterday or the day before in the walk-thru, but I know he wanted to kind of get himself in position to run around with his teammates again a little bit. We’ll see where we’re at with more reps and how sore his foot is, but as of right now he won’t be playing.”
It appears that if Morrow hopes to return, he’ll have to do it in a later game. It’s disappointing that he won’t be able to go as fans were excited about getting him back.
Gus Bradley Praises Defensive Improvements
The Raiders defense has been a mess for years but they are finally starting to show a lot of improvement under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. The team’s recent winning streak was in large part due to how the defense has played. In three of the last four wins, the defense has allowed 20 points or less.
“I think that they’re playing together more. The communication is better. The execution is better,” Bradley said of his defense Wednesday. “I think we’re doing a much better job on third down. And that comes back to just our execution. So, it really starts up front for us. I think those guys kind of set the tone and the back end has played accordingly. So, they feel like they’re playing as a unit right now with the communication. It’s not just understanding the defense, but some of the things that go along with down and distance tendencies and some indicators for us.”
Bradley deserves a lot of credit for doing what a lot of other defensive coordinators failed to do.
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