AFC West Notes: McCoy, Bolles, Joseph
The Chiefs listed running back LeSean McCoy as a healthy scratch for their 35-32 loss to the Titans as part of a predetermined schedule to rest him, according to James Palmer of NFL.com. Without McCoy, Damien Williams received a larger portion of snaps and had a costly fumble in the team’s upset loss.
Given the outcome Kansas City may have second thoughts about their decision, but the organization wants to have McCoy as fresh as possible for the last season and playoff push. At 6-4, the Chiefs remain atop the AFC West and will hope McCoy can make up for their loss in future contributions.
Here’s some more from around the AFC West:
- Left tackle Garett Bolles has struggled mightily for the Broncos this season. In his weekly mailbag, Ryan O’Hallaran of The Denver Post explained that the early-season injury to right tackle Ja’Wuan James might have saved his job. James’ injury forced swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson into full-time duty and left Denver without a solid Plan B behind Bolles. If James finds his way back onto the field, Wilkinson may be able to push for snaps on the opposite side of the line.
- Safety Karl Joseph had begun establishing himself as a difference-maker in the Raiders secondary this season before he suffered a season-ending injury. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the Raiders might have been inclined to negotiate an extension. However, given the uncertainty surrounding his health, Jerry McDonald of The Mercury News expects the team to let him hit free-agency this season and try to re-sign him at market value.
Raiders To Sign Dion Jordan, Place Karl Joseph On IR
Former top-five pick Dion Jordan will resurface in Oakland. The Raiders and the veteran defensive end agreed to terms, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Jordan will join D.J. Swearinger as late-week Raiders additions. To make room on the 53-man roster, Karl Joseph will head to IR. Joseph suffered a foot injury late in the Raiders’ Thursday win over the Chargers.
This marks yet another chance for Jordan, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Suspensions nearly chased the Oregon product out of the league, but he did play 12 games for the Seahawks last season. Multiple teams were interested in adding him this year. Jordan, who was banned 10 games for a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, will join a Raiders team that recently lost Arden Key for the season.
Jordan missed the 2015 season because of a substance-abuse ban and was shelved for all of 2016 as well. The pass rusher has battled both bans and injuries, having never come close to justifying his draft position. Jordan did register a career-high four sacks for the 2017 Seahawks, however. He recorded 1.5 last year.
A 2016 first-round pick, Joseph has started nine games this season. The Raiders did not pick up his 2020 option, and the West Virginia product may be headed toward free agency in March. While the Raiders have not ruled out retaining him, Jon Gruden has not been shy about jettisoning Reggie McKenzie‘s first-round picks. The previous GM’s other first-rounders left when Gruden took over — Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, Gareon Conley — have all been traded over the past 15 months.
In order to get both Swearinger and Jordan on the roster, the Raiders also waived linebacker Quentin Poling.
Karl Joseph May Miss Rest Of Season
The last of Reggie McKenzie‘s first-round picks still with the Raiders, Karl Joseph is not signed beyond this season. And the Oakland safety starter is in danger of missing the rest of 2019.
Joseph’s injury prompted the Raiders to sign D.J. Swearinger, and Jerry McDonald of the East Bay Times notes this is a “substantial” foot problem that may cause the fourth-year starter to miss the rest of the season. Spotted on crutches shortly after his interception sealed the Raiders’ second win in five days, Joseph at the very least looks likely to miss extensive time.
Although the Raiders have not used him as a consistent starter throughout his career, the 2016 No. 14 overall pick has started every game this year and has logged 41 starts in his career. The Raiders passed on Joseph’s fifth-year option in May, making him a 2020 free agent-to-be. Joseph has graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 31 safety through nine games. His 48 tackles are second among Raiders this season.
The Raiders added Swearinger to a safety mix that includes Erik Harris, Curtis Riley, second-year UDFA Dallin Leavitt and UFA addition Lamarcus Joyner. However, Joyner has played plenty of slot corner this season and suffered an injury Thursday night himself. The ex-Rams defender endured a non-contact hamstring injury, and McDonald notes he is uncertain to face the Bengals in Week 11.
Raiders To Sign D.J. Swearinger
Veteran safety D.J. Swearinger has found a new home. The Raiders are signing Swearinger to a deal, sources told Vic Tafur of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Oakland worked out Swearinger earlier this week, and apparently liked what they saw. With their win over the Chargers on Thursday Night Football the Raiders are now 5-4, and right in the thick of things in the AFC playoff hunt. Their secondary has lagged all season, so it’s not shocking that they’re bringing in some veteran help for the postseason push. Safety Karl Joseph also suffered a significant foot injury Thursday night, which might’ve contributed to this decision.
Swearinger has shown he’s capable of playing at a fairly high level in the past, but has often had falling outs with his coaching staffs. Originally drafted by the Texans in the second-round back in 2013, he was cut after just two seasons following disagreements with Bill O’Brien.
He has since spent time with the Buccaneers, the Cardinals on two different occasions, and the Redskins. After a public beef with Washington defensive coordinator Greg Manusky he was waived toward the end of last season, and claimed by Arizona. He played every snap through the first four games of this season with the Cardinals, but was then suddenly cut. Oakland’s secondary has been pretty banged up and promising rookie safety Johnathan Abram is on injured reserve, so they needed some depth at the position.
Raiders’ Karl Joseph Suffers Foot Injury
Raiders safety Karl Joseph is awaiting MRI results to learn the full extent of his foot injury. But, based on the initial diagnosis, there is a fear that it’s of the serious variety (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Joseph was benched to start the 2018 season and the club did not pick up his fifth-year option for 2020. Then, this offseason, they signed Lamarcus Joyner and drafted Johnathan Abram in the first round. The Raiders were set to move on from Joseph – until Abram suffered a labrum tear and landed on IR.
Now, it looks like they’ll be without Joseph for a while, if not the rest of the season. On Thursday night, Joseph’s leg buckled after he picked off Philip Rivers‘ third interception of the night. After the game, reporters spotted him with crutches.
Up until this point, Joseph started in every game for Oakland, logging 48 tackles and three passes defensed. Today, he ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 31 ranked safety in the NFL, ahead of notables such as Budda Baker, Morgan Burnett, Adrian Amos, Landon Collins, and Rodney McLeod.
At minimum, it sounds like the 5-4 Raiders will be without Joseph when they face the Bengals on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Arden Key Done For Season
Raiders defensive end Arden Key suffered a broken foot during the team’s win over the Lions on Sunday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). After he received a second opinion from Dr. Robert Anderson, the Raiders announced that he will miss the rest of the season and be placed on IR.
The injury comes at a particularly poor time for Key, as the LSU product had recorded a sack in each of Oakland’s past two games and was finally beginning to display the pass rushing ability that once made him a potential first-round pick. A rocky final collegiate season in 2017 caused him to drop to the third round of the 2018 draft, and after posting just one sack in his rookie campaign, Key was making positive strides this year.
Key missed a game earlier this season due to a sprained patellar tendon, and after that diagnosis, the Raiders worked out a few edge defenders who could serve as a replacement.
In other Raiders-related injury news, cornerback Daryl Worley has a strained Achilles and will be getting an MRI, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Worley has started every game for Oakland this year and recorded his first pick of the season on Sunday.
Right tackle Trent Brown sustained a knee injury on Sunday and is also waiting on MRI results, per Bair.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived from injured reserve: S Damian Parms
New York Jets
- Activated from non-football injury list: CB Bless Austin
- Placed on injured reserve: S Rontez Miles
- Waived: LB B.J. Bello
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted: LB Quentin Poling
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers (Vikings): S Marcus Epps
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: T Sam Young
NFL Workout Updates: 11/4/19
Today’s notes from around the workout circuit:
Buffalo Bills
- DT Corey Liuget
Cleveland Browns
- WR Victor Bolden, WR Malik Henry, WR Alex Wesley
Indianapolis Colts
- DE Ade Aruna, CB E.J. Gaines, CB Kayvon Webster
Oakland Raiders
Raiders Waive Brandon Marshall, Activate CB Isaiah Johnson
The Raiders will use one of their IR-return spots, elevating rookie cornerback Isaiah Johnson to their 53-man roster. This will result in the team cutting Brandon Marshall again. The team announced the transactions.
Johnson returned to practice in mid-October and will likely make his debut in Week 10. The Raiders placed their fourth-round pick on IR just before the season’s outset. A facial fracture and concussion shelved Johnson, but he will join fellow rookie Trayvon Mullen in a revamped Oakland corner corps.
Marshall re-signed with Oakland last week but was not active for the Raiders’ Week 9 game against the Lions. The former Broncos starter dealt with knee trouble this offseason but has since recovered. Although Marshall is a vested veteran, post-trade deadline rules stipulate he must be placed on waivers.
The Raiders traded Gareon Conley to the Texans just before the deadline and are now using Mullen and Daryl Worley as their starters. The team has not featured a reliable secondary, though, so Johnson will represent an intriguing depth piece.
Raiders Work Out D.J. Swearinger
The Raiders will work out D.J. Swearinger on Monday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The safety has been on the open market since late September when the Cardinals cut him loose. 
Before his release from Arizona, Swearinger started in all four of the Cardinals’ September games and played on every single snap. After viewing Swearinger as one of the NFL’s better safeties from 2016-18, Pro Football Focus ranked the seventh-year veteran as its No. 73 safety through the first quarter of the season. On the flipside – he’s still only 28 and the former second-round pick boasts 70 career starts for the Cardinals, Texans, Redskins, and Buccaneers.
Swearinger could join the Raiders’ safety group hours after Karl Joseph broke up Matthew Stafford‘s pass to seal the win against the Lions. The Raiders now sit a 4-4 with a chance to get above the .500 mark with a win over the Chargers on Thursday night.