Derek Carrier

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/22

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated for return: OG Xavier Su’a-Filo

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Raiders TE Derek Carrier Out For Season

The Raiders will see their tight end depth take a hit going forward. Derek Carrier will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

A blocking tight end who has been with the Raiders since signing with Oakland during Jon Gruden‘s first season back, Carrier is in his 10th NFL season. He sustained the injury in Las Vegas’ loss Monday night.

Although the Raiders still have dynamic receiving tight end Darren Waller and quality backup Foster Moreau, Carrier has been one of the better blockers at this position during his NFL tenure. He is under contract through the end of this season.

After stops in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington and with the L.A. Rams, the former UDFA signed with the Raiders in 2018. The Raiders initially cut him from their 53-man roster this year but brought him back after making IR moves. Carrier, 31, has played just 11% of Las Vegas’ offensive snaps this year but has been a special teams fixture, working on 88% of the team’s ST plays.

Raiders Place LB Nick Morrow, RB Jalen Richard On IR

The Raiders are placing four players on IR. Running back Jalen Richard, linebacker Nick Morrow, and defensive backs Keisean Nixon and Javin White will be shelved for at least the first three weeks of the season, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). To take the open roster spots, the team has signed offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor and re-signed both tight end Derek Carrier and safety Dallin Leavitt. (via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez on Twitter).

Richard has spent five seasons with the Raiders, including a 2018 campaign where he finished with 866 yards from scrimmage. He hasn’t been able to match that production over the past two years, combining for only 729 yards from scrimmage in 29 games. The 27-year-old is expected to be a primary backup to Josh Jacobs for another season in 2021.

Morrow had a career year for the Raiders in 2020, finishing with career-highs across the board. The linebacker has been dealing with a foot injury since late August, and he was expected to be sidelined for the start of the regular season. The team brought in some reinforcement at the position today when they signed veteran K.J. Wright.

Nixon has appeared in 29 games for the Raiders over the past two years, turning into one of the team’s special teams stalwarts. White, a 2020 undrafted free agent out of UNLV, got into four games with the Raiders as a rookie.

Raiders Trim Roster To 53

Some of the Raiders’ cuts became known earlier Tuesday, with the team parting ways with Karl Joseph and John Brown. Here are the rest of the moves Las Vegas made to reach the 53-man roster limit:

Released:

Waived:

Several of these players will be invited to stick around on Las Vegas’ practice squad, with the NFL greenlighting a second year of 16-man taxi squads. The Raiders’ cutting Brown and Doss keeps Willie Snead and Zay Jones on their active roster. Johnson played a part-time role on the Raiders’ defense last season, while Carrier has been with the team for the past four years. The Raiders re-signed him in March. Wreh-Wilson was aiming to catch on for a ninth NFL season, and while the former Titans and Falcons cornerback may do so, the Raiders halted his effort to land on their initial 53-man roster.

Raiders To Re-Sign TE Derek Carrier

Derek Carrier will stay with the Silver and Black for another season. The Raiders are re-signing the veteran tight end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This one-year contract will put Carrier in line to play a fourth season with the team. The 2021 season will be Carrier’s 10th as a pro. He suited up with the Eagles, 49ers, Washington and the Rams prior to signing with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018.

The 30-year-old vet has operated as a blocking tight end, for the most part, as a Raider. While playing in 16 games last season, Carrier caught one pass.

He will reprise his role alongside Darren Waller. The Raiders may have more use for Carrier next season, depending on how the rest of their offseason goes at this spot, given Jason Witten‘s retirement.

Raiders To Sign TE Derek Carrier

It’s only natural for siblings to steal toys from one another. Perhaps that explains Jon Gruden‘s early approach to free agency. Tight end Derek Carrier and the Raiders have agreed to a three-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Carrier spent two seasons with the Redskins, under the tutelage of Jon’s brother Jay Gruden. Last year, he was shipped to the Rams in a September trade.

The 27-year-old was mostly irrelevant on offense, hauling in only eight receptions for 71 yards. In 190 snaps, the former undrafted free agent out of Beloit proved to adequate in blocking, especially in pass situations. Carrier didn’t play enough to earn a spot in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but his rating suggests he would have been listed 30th among 71 eligible tight ends.

Carrier will join a new-crowded tight end crop in Oakland. The team is currently rostering three others at the position, including Jared CookClive Walford, and Pharaoh Brown. Cook is coming off of wrist surgery, however, and Lee Smith is a pending free agent.

Redskins Trade TE Derek Carrier To Rams

We heard earlier this morning that the Redskins could consider cutting tight end Derek Carrier. Now, it sounds like the player is actually getting traded, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Carrier has been traded to the Rams. Washington will receive a 2018 seventh-rounder (via the team’s Twitter account).

Derek Carrier (Vertical)The tight end struggled to stay healthy during his two seasons in Washington, appearing in only 20 games after tearing his ACL towards the end of the 2015 campaign. During his two years with the Redskins, Carrier hauled in only 19 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown. With Washington currently rostering four tight ends in Jordan ReedVernon DavisNiles Paul, and rookie Jeremy Sprinkle, Carrier was clearly expendable. The Redskins initially acquired the tight end after sending a conditional fifth-rounder to the 49ers before the 2015 season. Carrier has also had brief stints with the Raiders and Eagles.

The trade means that the tight end will be reuniting with his former offensive coordinator, Sean McVay, who is now the head coach in Los Angeles. Carrier could have an opportunity to contribute, although it’s likely that the team rolls with second-rounder Gerald Everett as their starter. Therefore, the recently-acquired tight end will presumably compete with Tyler Higbee and Cory Harkey for a reserve role.

Redskins Could Cut TE Derek Carrier

One way or another, Derek Carrier‘s time with the Redskins is drawing to a close today. If the Redskins cannot find a trade for him by this afternoon’s roster deadline they’ll release him outright, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweetsDerek Carrier (Vertical)

Carrier has been slowed by injuries ever since coming to the Redskins in 2015. He suffered a torn ACL during the 2015 season and his recovery extended into 2016. He has appeared in 20 games for Washington, but he has only 19 receptions to his name during that time.

If a team trades for Carrier, they’ll be taking on a $1MM cap charge for 2017. A trade doesn’t seem terribly likely, but two teams are at least discussing a swap with Washington today.

Extra Points: Steelers, Bell, Bears

Here’s a quick look around the NFL:

  • Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell passed his physical yesterday after showing up at the team’s facility, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He did not sign his franchise tag yet, but he will, Rapoport adds. Bell’s Steelers open up the season in Cleveland on Sept. 10.
  • The Bears were the only team to put in a waiver claim on kicker Roberto Aguayo after the Bucs cut him earlier this month, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. They’re now likely going to be stuck paying his $428K guarantee after releasing him on Saturday.
  • The Redskins are still trying to trade Derek Carrier and two teams are currently in on him, Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter) hears. It’s still unclear how likely a deal is, however. Carrier has been traded before – he came to Washington via a swap with San Francisco in 2015.
  • The Cardinals will pursue punter Andy Lee now that he is a free agent, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. This makes sense considering that the Cardinals considered trading for him this week prior to his release.
  • The Packers are looking for help at offensive guard, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle hears (Twitter link). Green Bay will start Lane Taylor and Jahri Evans at the two guard spots.