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The Las Vegas Raiders continue to focus on their general manager search but interim general manager Champ Kelly technically still has a job to do. While real free agency doesn’t start until March 13, teams can sign players who weren’t on NFL rosters to end the season.
The Raiders are getting ahead of some signings and announced on January 16 that they’ve signed offensive guard Ben Brown, safety Tyreque Jones and running back Tyreik McAllister.
Out of the three, Brown is the only one who has actually played in an NFL game as he played one game for the Tennessee Titans in 2023. Jones is a Boise State alum who has spent some time with the Titans and Indianapolis Colts but couldn’t get on the field.
McAllister has actually been in the Canadian Football League where he had 13 carries for 52 yards and 27 receptions for 364 yards with two touchdowns in 2023 as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Out of all the players added, McAllister is the most interesting due to his speed. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at an NFL Pro Day in 2023. He also had a brief stint with the Denver Broncos. He has the ability to return kicks and punts so he could be a player to watch with DeAndre Carter headed for free agency.
Las Vegas Raiders Interview Kris Richard
The Raiders are continuing their head coaching search and have been taking things very slowly. The first interview they lined up was with former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and the team has finally finished up a second one.
According to a January 16 X post from NFL Network’s Adam Schefter, the team has interviewed former Dallas Cowboys assistant Kris Richard.
Notably, Frazier and Richard have something in common: Neither is employed by an NFL team right now. New NFL rules don’t allow teams to interview coaches who are employed by teams until January 22. Frazier and Richard are both diverse candidates so the Raiders have satisfied the Rooney Rule and can hire a coach at their leisure now.
Frazier and Richard are not hot head coaching candidates so this bodes well for interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Why would the Raiders rush to satisfy the Rooney Rule if they didn’t know they wanted Pierce? Owner Mark Davis is still a wild card but the stars are aligning for Pierce.
What About Champ Kelly?
Things are looking good for Antonio Pierce but it’s still unclear what the plan at general manager is. Mark Davis has interviewed several candidates and is free to make his choice whenever. Interim general manager Champ Kelly has been considered the leader in the clubhouse but Davis could still be torn.
It’s looking like a two-horse race between Kelly and Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds for the general manager job, per a January 16 X post from Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
Dodds has been in the mix for the Raiders job before but it still seems like Kelly’s job to lose. The fact that Pierce is likely getting the head coaching job should only help Kelly. Dodds may prefer to bring in a coach of his choosing if he’s hired, which can potentially be a sticking point.
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