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The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into their biggest matchup of the year this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers and can’t afford to be undermanned at any position. The team has started to get healthy at linebacker so they cut Will Compton earlier in the week after playing one game for them this season. News dropped on Thursday that linebacker Marquel Lee is being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, likely ruling him out for the Chargers game.
With the Raiders needing a linebacker again, they decided to sign Compton back after being away from the team for one day.
It’s unclear if Compton will be on the active roster or practice squad but he’ll have a chance to play regardless. The Raiders are pretty set at linebacker for defensive snaps but Compton can make an impact on special teams. He’s made plenty of starts at linebacker so he can help on defense if necessary. This will now be his third stint with the Raiders after playing nine games with them in 2019.
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Maxx Crosby Praises Denzel Perryman
Denzel Perryman has been limited in practice all week with an ankle injury but it’s hard to imagine he’ll miss out on the game against his former team. After spending his first six years with the Chargers, the team decided not to bring him back this season. He eventually made his way to the Raiders and has been a revelation. He’s been selected to this year’s Pro Bowl and is tied for sixth in the NFL in combined tackles with 145 despite missing two games.
Nobody could’ve seen Perryman being this much of an impact player after the Raiders traded for him not long before the season started. Fellow Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby has been impressed with his teammate.
“Denzel is a special cat,” Crosby said, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “The way he plays, you can tell that it matters to him. The way he hits people, I would not want to be hit by that man, I don’t care how small he is. He puts a dent in everybody.”
The Raiders linebacker corps has been a disaster for years but they have found a player to build around in Perryman.
Perryman Knows Raiders Need to Keep Fighting
The Raiders-Chargers matchup on Sunday is a big deal for a lot of reasons. Whoever wins guarantees a spot in the playoffs while the loser likely won’t be making it. Plus, there are multiple former Chargers on the team. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, cornerback Casey Hayward, defensive tackle Darius Philon, Perryman and more were all on the team for multiple years, including last season.
Perryman isn’t making a big deal about playing his former team to get into the playoffs. He just knows the Raiders have to keep fighting.
“We have to fight,” Perryman said. “We know what is at stake. We know what happens, when we do win and you know, we know what happens when we lose. So right now, man, it’s a lot of fighting, like literally about fighting.”
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