AFC West Notes: Williams, Raiders, Broncos
As cut day approaches, let’s take a look at the latest news coming out of the AFC West:
- As Hard Knocks viewers observed, Mike Williams suffered a shoulder injury while diving for a pass in practice. While Williams was said to be out “for a while,” Chargers offensive coordinator Shane Steichen noted recently the fourth-year wideout may well return for Week 1. “Mike’s gotta be ready to play,” Steichen said, via the Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano (on Twitter). “I think Mike has got that mindset to be ready to play. We look forward to having him on September 13.” A thin Bolts receiver depth chart — beyond WR1 Keenan Allen — increases the importance of Williams returning.
- Rookie Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette suffered a setback recently. The first-round pick sustained a thumb fracture, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will require Arnette to wear a soft cast on his injured hand, which he did at one point with the Buckeyes. The Raiders are counting on Arnette to play a key role in their secondary this season.
- One of Mike Williams‘ ex-Chargers receiver teammates will not play this season. The Raiders placed Tyrell Williams on IR this week, ending his second season with the team. Tyrell Williams suffered a torn shoulder labrum for the second time as a pro, and Jon Gruden said an attempt to play through this malady would have required Williams to wear a movement-restricting harness (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur). With a Williams cut saving the Raiders $11MM-plus next year, he looms as a likely 2021 release.
- Although Demar Dotson operated as the Buccaneers’ starting right tackle for the past eight seasons, his Broncos signing does not mean he will stay a first-stringer. The current Denver plan is for Elijah Wilkinson to again fill Ja’Wuan James‘ position, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post notes. Dotson would then play a swing role behind Wilkinson and embattled left tackle Garett Bolles. Whether Wilkinson starts in Week 1 or not, the Broncos will enter a seventh straight year with a different right tackle to open a season.
Raiders To Cut Damarious Randall
The Raiders are releasing safety Damarious Randall, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders are still on the hook for the veteran’s $1.5MM guaranteed base salary, though that will be offset by the salary paid to Randall by his new team. 
Randall, 28, spent the first three years of his career with the Packers before moving on to the Browns in 2018. Last year, he was limited to just eleven games, though he still managed 2.5 sacks, 61 total stops, and six passes defensed. All in all, he’s got 56 career starts and 14 interceptions to his credit across five NFL seasons. The Raiders inked him to a one-year deal worth up to $3.25MM in early April, but they’ve decided to go in a different direction.
The Washington Football Team and the Seahawks also expressed interest in Randall in March. Those teams may or may not circle back to him, but it stands to reason that he’ll find work somewhere. The Raiders’ secondary, meanwhile, will work to improve their work against the pass. Last year, they surrendered 256.7 passing yards per game, the eighth-highest total in the league.
Raiders Rework Nathan Peterman’s Deal
Nathan Peterman‘s job appears to be safe. On Friday, the Raiders reworked the quarterback’s contract to go from a non-guaranteed $2.133MM to a guaranteed one-year, $1MM pact (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
Quarterback depth is more important than ever amidst the pandemic and the Raiders see Peterman as a worthwhile QB3 to stash behind Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota. Of course, Peterman’s on-field track record has left much to be desired. The Bills cut him midway through his second pro year, following a historically bad start to his career. Pro Football Reference’s “indexed” statistics, which account and adjust for different eras of the game, rated Peterman dead last among all QBs since 1970 in passer rating, yards per attempt, interception percentage, and numerous other passing statistics.
Peterman looked sharp in the 2019 preseason, but he landed on IR before the start of the Raiders’ season. This year, he’s healthy, and he’ll be on call for Jon Gruden if needed.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/20
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Claimed (from Texans): DT Albert Huggins
- Released: WR Geremy Davis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Charles Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: FB Roosevelt Nix
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Ian Bunting, OL Andrew Donnal
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived/failed-physical: CB Nick Nelson
Miami Dolphins
- Released: WR Ricardo Louis, WR Chester Rogers
- Waived: S Jeremiah Dinson, DE Avery Moss, CB Deatrick Nichols
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived/left-squad: DL James Lockhart
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: K Elliott Fry
Raiders Release Rod Smith, Jordan Devey
The Raiders removed a player from their suddenly crowded backfield Tuesday, releasing Rod Smith. They also released veteran guard Jordan Devey.
Smith signed with the Raiders in December 2019 and played in three games. But the team since added Devontae Booker, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Theo Riddick to a backfield already housing Josh Jacobs and Jalen Richard.
Smith, 28, is a vested veteran and will return to free agency. He is best known for his years backing up Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas but has been on three teams — the Giants, Titans and Raiders — since 2019.
Las Vegas also re-signed Devey this offseason, bringing back the former 49ers and Chiefs lineman in April. However, the Raiders drafted guard John Simpson in the draft a few weeks later. They still have starters Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito, with Simpson and Denzelle Good supplying depth. A six-year veteran, Devey played in four Raiders games last season before heading to IR with a torn pectoral muscle.
In additional roster-clearing moves, the Raiders waived linebacker Sharif Finch and guard Jordan Roos.
Raiders To Place Tyrell Williams On IR
Tyrell Williams‘ second Raiders season will end before it starts. The team is placing the veteran wide receiver on IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
This comes a bit after news of Williams sustaining another torn shoulder labrum. Williams was planning to attempt to play through such an injury, as he did in college and with the Chargers on prior occasions, but this IR development may well indicate he will undergo surgery. That will indeed be Williams’ course of action, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Because the Raiders are not carrying Williams onto their regular-season roster, he will not be eligible to return from IR. That would not matter anyway. This surgery is expected to sideline Williams for around six months. Considering the team’s actions at receiver this offseason, it is certainly possible Williams will be elsewhere in 2021.
The Raiders opted to guarantee Williams’ $11MM base salary this season, but the team proceeded to draft Henry Ruggs in Round 1 and Bryan Edwards in Round 3. The latter has worked as a starter in camp, impressing the team ahead of his rookie season. With a Williams 2021 release set to provide $11.6MM in cap room, it is likely the team will opt for such savings in what could well be the biggest salary cap reduction in NFL history.
Last year, the Raiders brought in Williams to play as the No. 2 wideout alongside Antonio Brown. With Brown’s antics driving him out of Oakland before playing a game, more became expected of Williams. However, he recorded only 42 catches for 651 yards while battling injuries to both feet. With the rookies joining Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow in Las Vegas’ passing attack this year, Williams’ role may have been reduced. Instead, he will rehab ahead of his age-29 season in 2021.
Raiders Cut Prince Amukamara
The Raiders are set to release cornerback Prince Amukamara (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo). The former first-round pick was signed to a veteran’s minimum deal (one-year, $1.05MM) in May, so it appears to be a football decision rather than a financial one.
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade LB Raekwon McMillan To Raiders]
Amukamara was dropped by the Bears in February after a so-so year. He’s been inconsistent throughout his career, dating back to his first five seasons with the Giants. Amukamara fared well in 2018, the first season on his three-year, $27MM extension, but he was less impressive in 2019. Last year, Amukamara graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 41 corner in the NFL.
For his career, Amukamara has started in 99 of his 113 games – he’s more or less been first-string for every campaign except his rookie year. Now, he’s looking for work as his age-31 season draws near.
The Raiders will forge ahead with Trayvon Mullen, Isaiah Johnson, nickel back Lamarcus Joyner, and first-round rookie Damon Arnette as their primary corners.
Dolphins Trade LB Raekwon McMillan To Raiders
The Dolphins have agreed to trade linebacker Raekwon McMillan to the Raiders, according to a source who spoke with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). In exchange, the Raiders are sending a 2021 fourth-round pick to Miami, but they’ll also receive a 2021 fifth-round pick along with McMillan (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
[RELATED: Raiders’ Tyrell Williams Battling Labrum Tear]
In 2019, McMillan ranked as the Dolphins’ best defensive player, according to Pro Football Focus. Earlier this year, the Dolphins were said to be considering an extension for McMillan, but the pandemic threw a wrench into those talks. The Dolphins also had their doubts about McMillan’s pass coverage, and they were planning to mostly use him on run downs this year. DeVante Parker, Jesse Davis, Allen Hurns, and Jakeem Grant all received extensions recently, but the Dolphins ultimately did not want to lock down the young ‘backer.
McMillan, who has one year and $1.1MM left on his deal, will now try to make his case in Las Vegas. There, he’ll support a revamped linebacker group that previously had depth concerns, despite the additions of Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.
McMillan wasn’t the right fit for Brian Flores‘ 3-4 hybrid scheme, but he could fare better with Jon Gruden. He comes to the Raiders with ample experience, having started 28 of his 29 games since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2017.
NFL Workout Updates: 8/28/20
Here are the workouts that took place around the NFL on Friday:
Buffalo Bills
- DT Daryle Banfield
- DT Toby Johnson
- DT Akeem Spence
- DT Gabe Wright
Chicago Bears
- LB Devante Bond
- RB Napoleon Maxwell (visit)
- LB Gabe Sewell
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
- DB Hasan Sharif
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Darren Andrews
- QB Kyle Lauletta
- WR Charone Peake
- WR T.J. Rahming
- QB Kyle Shurmur
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyrell Williams Battling Labrum Tear
- Tyrell Williams will try to play through some familiar pain this season. The Raiders wideout suffered a torn shoulder labrum, but as of now, the veteran is not envisioning a prolonged absence, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). After a multi-week rest period, Williams will attempt to play despite this ailment. Shoulder issues have become chronic for the ex-Charger. He played four games despite a labrum tear in 2016 and played through this issue in the same right shoulder as a senior at Western Oregon in 2014. But Williams is not a lock to finish the season, with his agent informing NFL reporter Josina Anderson (Twitter link) surgery may be on the table if the shoulder “continues to dislocate.”