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Las Vegas Raiders News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/22

November 12th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor roster moves in anticipation for Sunday’s slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Activated from IR: S Charles Washington
  • Promoted from practice squad: OL Rashaad Coward

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: TE Nick Muse

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Raiders Sign TE Jacob Hollister

November 10th, 2022 at 9:14pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders lost a pair of key players to injured reserve today, and the organization is now starting to fill in the open roster spots. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), the Raiders have signed tight end Jacob Hollister off the Vikings practice squad.

[RELATED: TE Darren Waller To IR | WR Hunter Renfrow To IR]

The Raiders are also signing linebacker Curtis Bolton from their practice squad to the active roster, per Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (on Twitter). Linebacker Reggie Ragland will be taking the open practice squad spot, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter).

Hollister has bounced around the NFL a bit since going undrafted in 2017. In six professional seasons, the tight end has seen time in 59 games (12 starts), including a two-season stint in Seattle that saw him haul in 66 total catches. After spending much of the 2021 campaign in Jacksonville, Hollister joined the Raiders in March. He landed on IR before the end of the preseason and was later granted his release.

He later caught on with the Vikings’ practice squad and was promoted for a pair of games. With Darren Waller sidelined for at least the next four games, Hollister will likely see some playing time behind expected fill-in Foster Moreau.

Bolton has seen time in six games since the beginning of the 2021 season, including a single appearance for the Raiders earlier this season. His signing to the active roster comes on the heels of Blake Martinez‘s decision to retire earlier today. Ragland, a former second-round pick, started nine of his 17 games for the Giants in 2021. The 29-year-old has 279 tackles across five NFL seasons.

Raiders LB Blake Martinez To Retire

November 10th, 2022 at 1:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Blake Martinez has played four games with the Raiders this season. He has started two of those and was on the field for 91% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps against the Jaguars. The veteran linebacker has changed his plans since Sunday.

The seventh-year vet announced his retirement (via Instagram) on Thursday. Martinez spent time with the Packers, Giants and Raiders over the course of a successful career, one coming after he was drafted in the 2016 fourth round.

The Giants reached an agreement to keep Martinez this offseason, coming to terms on a restructured contract with the multiyear starter. Martinez, 28, had suffered an ACL tear during in 2021 and was entering the final season of a three-year, $30MM deal. The Giants reversed course on the high-priced inside ‘backer just before the season, releasing him and taking on some dead money in doing so.

While Martinez found a new home in Las Vegas, that partnership will end up being shortlived. The Raiders bumped Martinez up to their active roster not long after signing him to their practice squad. He recorded a game-high 11 tackles in his fourth and final game as a Raider, logging 63 defensive snaps against the Jags.

One of a few midround Packers draftees to be plugged in as a starting linebacker over the past several years, Martinez ended up starting 57 games with Green Bay. During his four-year run with the team, the Stanford product became one of the NFL’s most reliable sources of tackles. He racked up at least 144 stops from 2017-20, leading the league with 144 in 2017. He notched a career-high 155 in his 2019 contract year, providing a springboard to that $10MM-per-year Giants pact.

Martinez played for current Raiders DC Patrick Graham during much of his career. Graham was in Green Bay in 2018, working as the team’s linebackers coach, and was the Giants’ DC during Martinez’s two seasons in New York. Martinez joined James Bradberry as Giants big-ticket 2020 signings; each player helped Graham’s defense finish in the top 10 in points allowed. But Martinez’s early-season ACL tear in 2021 led to an early end to his Big Blue run.

For his career, Martinez totaled 706 tackles and 13 sacks. During that 2017-20 stretch, no one surpassed Martinez’s 594 tackles. Future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner came closest, reaching 568.

Raiders To Place Hunter Renfrow On IR

November 10th, 2022 at 1:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both of Davante Adams‘ top sidekicks will miss at least the next four games. Following the decision to place Darren Waller on IR, the Raiders will move Hunter Renfrow to the injury list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Renfrow is dealing with an oblique injury, per Schefter. He appeared on Las Vegas’ injury report with hamstring and rib injuries, getting in a limited practice Wednesday. Rather than aim to fight through these maladies to face the Colts, Renfrow will be shut down until at least Week 14.

Unlike Waller, Renfrow has been available in recent weeks. The fourth-year slot receiver’s two missed games occurred in Weeks 3 and 4. Upon returning, however, Renfrow has not come close to the pace he was on in Jon Gruden‘s offense. The recently extended receiver has just 21 catches for 192 yards and no touchdowns in six games this season. Renfrow, 26, caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns last season, putting the former Day 3 draftee in position for a big 2022 payday.

The Raiders went to great lengths to lock in their top aerial personnel long term this offseason. They completed a tag-and-trade exchange with the Packers for Adams and gave him a then-record-setting five-year, $140MM extension. Derek Carr signed next, with Renfrow’s deal following during the summer. Just before Week 1, the team completed complex negotiations to finalize Waller’s contract.

Renfrow’s contract is the shortest, running through 2024. But he is tied to a $16MM-per-year accord, separating him from most pure slot players. The early returns in Josh McDaniels‘ offense have disappointed. Despite McDaniels’ Patriots attack churning out All-Pro seasons from Wes Welker and quality work from his successor (Julian Edelman), Renfrow has not taken flight. The Raiders have leaned more on low-cost free agency addition Mack Hollins compared to their well-paid slot. Hollins should be expected to shoulder more of the workload going forward, though the Raiders are not in a contending position at the midseason point.

The Adams-Waller-Renfrow trio has played just 62 snaps together this season, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed (on Twitter). Adams also faces a possible suspension for shoving a cameraman following the Raiders’ last-second loss to the Chiefs. The Raiders have slunk to 2-6, losing a Week 8 shutout in New Orleans and blowing a 17-point lead in Jacksonville.

Despite his underwhelming start as Raiders HC, McDaniels is not believed to be on the hot seat. But his prospects for fielding a consistent offense took a major hit with Thursday’s developments. The Raiders have Hollins in place as a key auxiliary target. Keelan Cole and DJ Turner are the only other wideouts on the active roster. That will change soon. The Raiders traded their 2022 first-round pick for Adams, but they have their 2023 top choice. Considering the team’s record and minimized offensive personnel, that suddenly becomes more relevant.

Raiders To Place TE Darren Waller On IR

November 10th, 2022 at 12:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Darren Waller‘s absence will now be extended into December. The Raiders’ Pro Bowl tight end is heading to IR, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Waller is believed to have aggravated his hamstring injury, per Schefter. The veteran pass catcher has practiced in a limited capacity recently but has not played since Week 5. This will give Waller more time to heal while obviously hurting a Raiders passing attack that has been inconsistent despite forming a Waller-Davante Adams–Hunter Renfrow trio.

[RELATED: Josh McDaniels Not On Hot Seat]

The converted wide receiver initially suffered the injury during the first quarter of the Raiders’ shootout loss to the Chiefs. After Las Vegas’ Week 6 bye, Waller went into the past two Sundays as a candidate to suit up. The Raiders did not rule him out until gameday in both cases. The IR move provides clarity but will leave a 2-6 team without its top tight end until at least Week 14.

This news makes Waller and Drew Rosenhaus’ push to secure a late-summer extension more important. After ranking outside the top 15 in tight end contracts entering September, Waller signed a three-year, $51MM deal. The new contract came with $22MM guaranteed; $19MM of that is fully guaranteed. Had Waller opted to bet on himself, this injury-altered season would have certainly reduced his value.

The Raiders have Waller, 30 signed through 2026 at the NFL’s highest tight end AAV figure. While Waller’s guarantee figures fall outside the top five at the position, the team has still invested plenty in the Jon Gruden-era reclamation project. Waller’s unavailability has undoubtedly affected the Raiders’ aerial attack, which has struggled to see Renfrow reprise his previous form. The Raiders extended Renfrow (two years, $32MM) this offseason as well, pairing him with Adams’ $28MM-per-year megadeal.

This represents Waller’s second straight injury-limited season. A knee injury cost him time in 2021, complicating his quest for a second Raiders extension. Thursday’s news ensures Waller will have missed at least 13 games over the past two seasons. This stretch has blunted the talented performer’s momentum. He came into the season as one of just eight tight ends to have multiple 1,100-yard seasons. Waller accomplished this while being the Raiders’ top aerial weapon, taking over that role after the franchise’s Antonio Brown bet became a spectacular bust.

Foster Moreau will continue to serve as Vegas’ starting tight end in Waller’s absence. Waller has totaled 16 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown on the season. Moreau also has amassed 175 yards this year, on 17 catches. In six games, Renfrow has still not surpassed 200 receiving yards.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/9/22

November 9th, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/22

November 9th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Adams, Dulin, Ellefson, Galeai, Washington and Willis each have until Nov. 30 to be activated from IR. Should they not be activated, they would revert to season-ending IR. The Colts and Vikings are in solid shape regarding activations, having only used one apiece. The Bears, Cardinals, 49ers and Packers have used three such moves apiece. Teams are allotted eight injury activations this season.

The Cowboys dangled Basham in trades before last week’s deadline, but no takers emerged. While the team cut the other D-lineman they were hoping to deal — Trysten Hill, who has since been claimed by the Cardinals — they ended up using one of their injury activations on Basham. A former Colts third-round pick, Basham notched 3.5 sacks during his first Cowboys season last year. He played in one game this season (Week 1) before going down with a quadriceps injury. The Cowboys, who have Tyron Smith and James Washington on their IR-return radar, have used two injury activations this season.

Raiders Waive S Johnathan Abram

November 8th, 2022 at 1:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders dangled Johnathan Abram in trades leading up to last week’s deadline, and they are now moving on from the former first-round pick.

Las Vegas plans to cut Abram on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The veteran starter, whom the Raiders recently demoted, will be available on waivers. Abram has made 34 career starts, but the Jon Gruden-era draftee was unable to carve out a spot as a long-term Raiders piece. Just more than $1MM in base salary remains on Abram’s rookie contract. The Raiders have since announced the move.

Trades of Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper gave the Raiders three first-round picks in 2019. The team selected Josh Jacobs with the Mack-produced draft slot and landed Abram with the Cooper-obtained pick. The Bears and Cowboys, respectively, gave the trade acquisitions second contracts. The Raiders did not pick up Abram or Jacobs’ fifth-year options. The first pick from the first Gruden-Mike Mayock draft, Clelin Ferrell, is also playing out his rookie contract after never gaining a foothold as a viable starter.

The Raiders shopped both Abram and Ferrell before the deadline, but no takers emerged. Despite being on Las Vegas’ roster bubble this offseason, Ferrell has seen a greater snap share compared to Abram in recent weeks. Abram started the Raiders’ first six games but did not open the team’s Week 8 Saints matchup in the lineup.

Abram, 26, played at least 75% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps over their first six games. The Raiders saw the former No. 27 overall pick’s rookie season nullified by a torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum. He bounced back to return to the starting lineup in 2020 and tallied 116 tackles in 2021. During his final three Raiders seasons, Abram has played in three defensive systems. The Raiders have gone from Paul Guenther to Gus Bradley to Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator over the past three seasons. The Raiders’ defense, which has struggled regardless of coordinator for most of the 21st century, ranks 28th in both points and yards allowed.

Coverage issues have plagued the Mississippi State alum as a pro. While Pro Football Focus rates Abram outside the top 75 among full-time safeties this season, the advanced metrics site has Vegas starter Trevon Moehrig slotted in the bottom five at the position. The Raiders’ Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler regime brought in ex-Patriot Duron Harmon this offseason; the veteran has worked as a full-timer at safety since arriving.

Abram’s exit during his rookie contract makes him the fourth Raider first-rounder over the past four years who failed to play out his rookie deal. The Raiders cut Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette within a two-week period last fall, with off-field incidents leading to each’s exit. Alex Leatherwood did not make it into his second season, being waived after training camp this year. Although the Gruden era produced draft hits like Maxx Crosby and Hunter Renfrow, the first-round misses have undoubtedly set the Raiders back.

Raiders’ Josh McDaniels Not On Hot Seat

November 7th, 2022 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following their decision to reboot after a playoff berth, the Raiders are 2-6. While the other first-year AFC West coach has drawn rampant scrutiny and generated one-and-done rumors, Josh McDaniels is not believed to be in the boat in which Nathaniel Hackett resides.

McDaniels is not viewed as a hot-seat occupant, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (Twitter link) and Jonathan Jones. Famously fired during his second season in Denver 12 years ago, McDaniels has become somewhat of a polarizing presence — largely due to his decision to spurn the Colts in 2018 — since initially leaving the Patriots for the Broncos. His first Raiders stretch has not generated much success. McDaniels, 46, is now 13-23 as a head coach.

Jon Gruden‘s forced resignation led to interim HC Rich Bisaccia helming a resurgent 2021 Raiders team to the playoffs. While Mark Davis interviewed Bisaccia for the full-time job, they became the latest team to give the keys to ex-Bill Belichick lieutenants. McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler authorized several extensions this offseason. Derek Carr, Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller each reupped with the team, which traded first- and second-round picks for Davante Adams, who received a then-record-setting extension. This Raiders edition entered the season as a top-heavy operation; this situation was viewed as a multiyear retooling project. But the early returns have generated speculation regarding McDaniels’ future.

Despite the Raiders blowing three 17-plus-point leads this season, a source informed Jones the Raiders are a better-managed coaching staff compared to the Gruden period. That said, the team has taken steps back defensively under McDaniels hire Patrick Graham, who was on the HC radar, and has been inconsistent offensively. The Raiders rank 28th in both total defense and points allowed; the franchise has not ranked in the top half in points allowed since 2002. Las Vegas’ defense did rank 14th in total defense and 17th in DVOA last season.

Only 13 coaches have been one-and-dones this century. Hackett walked into a situation with slightly higher expectations, due to the Russell Wilson trade. The 3-5 Broncos’ struggles, with the first-time HC at the center of them, have led to those one-and-done rumors. McDaniels is on a four-year contract, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). Cutting off his stay at one season would be a chunk of guaranteed money for Davis, not one of the league’s richer owners, to eat.

Las Vegas was connected to making buyer’s trades before last week’s deadline, but they have lost two games since that report emerged. The second part of McDaniels’ first season will move to evaluation, with the longtime Patriots OC’s offense on the complicated side. Judging how players progress in that scheme will be paramount to the Raiders’ future, if Davis is keen on giving the coach another chance. Most owners take this route. It should be expected McDaniels will be given the 2023 season to establish himself in Vegas, but the heat will be turned up — especially if his first season stays on this course.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/22

November 7th, 2022 at 7:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Designated for return: G Shane Lemieux
  • Placed on IR: DT Nicholas Williams

Lemieux has been out since September 2021. A severe knee injury paused Lemieux’s career, sidelining him after he had commandeered a starting job. The Giants drafted Lemieux in the 2020 fifth round and turned to him as a starter for much of his rookie season. But the team’s new regime addressed the interior line extensively this offseason, signing Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano before drafting Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan.

The Giants, however, lost McKethan for the season and are without starting left guard Ben Bredeson. The team having Lemieux and former center starter Nick Gates, who also battled back from a severe injury, back will provide some options for Brian Daboll up front. Bredeson, whom the team placed on IR last week, will be a candidate to be one of Big Blue’s injury activations later this season.

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