Raiders Place Marcus Mariota On IR, Add DeShone Kizer To P-Squad
The Raiders have placed quarterback Marcus Mariota on injured reserve, per a club announcement. For added insurance, the club has added one-time Notre Dame star DeShone Kizer to the Raiders’ practice squad. 
Mariota’s strained pectoral muscle will keep him out for at least three weeks, per the league’s modified rules for 2020. Without him, the Raiders are rolling with two QBs on the active roster – Derek Carr and Nathan Peterman. Mariota’s temporary absence may take a little bit of pressure off of Derek Carr, who has certainly heard the footsteps. Mariota, who was leapfrogged by Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, finished the year with a career-low 59.4% completion rate and just 1,203 yards.
Kizer has been on the workout trail ever since he was cut by the club in May, but those tryouts didn’t land him a deal. Now, the 2017 second-round pick will stick around in Las Vegas as he waits for his next opportunity. Kizer, 24, has made 18 appearances over the course of his NFL career, most of which came during the Browns’ winless season. All in all, he’s got eleven touchdowns against 24 interceptions.
Here’s the full rundown of the Raiders’ practice squad after Monday’s move:
- WR Marcell Ateman
- TE Nick Bowers
- S Jordan Brown
- WR Keelan Doss
- K Dominik Eberle
- LB Kyle Emanuel
- S Madre Harper
- DE Datone Jones
- QB DeShone Kizer
- C Dylan Mabin
- OL Erik Magnuson
- RB Theo Riddick
- OT: Kamaal Seymour
- DE Chris Smith
- LB Javin White
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/20
Here are Sunday’s minor moves. The players who landed on injured reserve are eligible to come off teams’ respective lists after three weeks. For 2020, teams can also activate an unlimited number of IR players — as opposed to the two-man max of 2019.
Atlanta Falcons
- Claimed (from Washington): T Timon Paris
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed (from Dolphins): G Deion Calhoun
- Signed: CB Torry McTyer
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Cowboys): DE Joe Jackson
- Claimed (from Bills): DT Vincent Taylor
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR Ventell Bryant
- Signed: CB C.J. Goodwin, LB Justin March-Lillard
- Released: LB Joe Thomas
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: T Brent Qvale, LS Jon Weeks
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed (from Eagles): TE Noah Togiai
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed (from Giants): LB Ryan Connelly
New York Giants
- Claimed (from Chiefs): T Jackson Barton, S Adrian Colbert
- Claimed (from Browns): WR Damion Ratley
- Waived: S Sean Chandler, OL Chad Slade
- Placed on IR: LB David Mayo, S Xavier McKinney
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed (from Lions): RB Jason Huntley
- Placed on IR: S Will Parks, WR Quez Watkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: J.J. Nelson
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed (from Titans): LB D’Andre Walker
- Waived: DB Linden Stephens
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: C A.Q. Shipley
Matt Moore, DeAndre Washington Land On Chiefs’ Practice Squad
After agreeing to re-sign with the Chiefs late in the offseason, Matt Moore learned he did not make their active roster. But he is not leaving Kansas City.
The defending Super Bowl champions are carrying Moore on their expanded practice squad. Moore joins Josh McCown as veteran quarterbacks who agreed to join practice squads Sunday. Teams are now permitted to carry up to six veterans of unlimited service time on their taxi squads, and the Chiefs will also use one of their slots for quarterback insurance.
Moore, signed after he’d left the game and begun working as a scout and a high school assistant coach, started two games in relief of Patrick Mahomes last year. He won one of those, against the Vikings, and that game ended up helping the Chiefs clinch the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Moore, 36, will play an emergency role behind Mahomes and Chad Henne. The Chiefs are carrying two QBs — Moore and former XFL passer Jordan Ta’amu — on their P-squad.
Former Raiders backup running back DeAndre Washington also rejoined the Chiefs after being released. The Chiefs signed the veteran back this offseason but gave holdovers Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson roster spots over him, despite Washington having played with Mahomes at Texas Tech.
Here is Kansas City’s full squad:
- DB Rodney Clemons
- LB Omari Cobb
- WR Gehrig Dieter
- WR Maurice Ffrench
- WR Joe Fortson
- LB Darius Harris
- DB Lavert Hill
- DT Braxton Hoyett
- DB Chris Lammons
- WR Kalija Lipscomb
- QB Matt Moore
- QB Jordan Ta’amu
- DE Tim Ward
- RB DeAndre Washington
- C Darryl Williams
Raiders Trade RB Lynn Bowden Jr. To Dolphins
We’ve got a bit of an unusual trade to pass along. The Raiders are trading rookie running back Lynn Bowden Jr. and a sixth-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for a fourth-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (Twitter link).
It’s pretty rare for a third-round pick to get traded before ever playing a game for the team that drafted them, so the Raiders must not have liked something about Bowden. Especially to give him up for considerably less draft capital than they spent. The Kentucky product’s home was searched by the DEA back in June, although he was never arrested, and it’s unclear if that caused him to fall out of favor with the organization. As Rapoport points out, it’s the same fourth-round pick they’re getting back that they just traded to Miami last week in exchange for Raekwon McMillan.
As for Miami, it’s a nice low-risk pickup considering they have an unsettled backfield and could use all the young talent they could get. They’ve apparently had their eye on Bowden for a while, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that the Dolphins “loved” him before the draft and had a top-30 visit with him scheduled before it was canceled due to COVID-19.
As of right now the Dolphins are set for a timeshare in their backfield with Jordan Howard and Matt Breida. Bowden should compete for snaps right away, and he also has value as a return specialist. He’s an elite athlete, as he even started at quarterback for a while for Kentucky after a couple of injuries. The Raiders had said they planned to use him in a versatile utility role, and it’ll be very interesting to see what Brian Flores’ staff comes up with for him.
Raiders Cut RB Theo Riddick
Theo Riddick could be on the move again. The veteran running back is being cut by the Raiders, a source told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN (Twitter link).
That being said that doesn’t mean he won’t be in Vegas, as Gutierrez notes the Raiders want him as a veteran exception on the practice squad. He also writes that Riddick impressed during his brief time in camp. The pass-catching specialist just signed with the team on August 23rd.
Riddick broke into the league as a sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2013, and spent the next six years in Detroit. He carved out a nice role on passing downs, and for a while was one of the top receiving backs in the league. His best season as a receiver came in 2015 when he caught 80 passed for 697 yards and three touchdowns.
His production declined shortly thereafter, and the Lions finally released him in July of last year. He quickly latched on with the Broncos, but didn’t appear in a game for Denver after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Raiders Release DL Chris Smith
Despite signing with the Raiders in late August, Chris Smith is once again a free agent. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Las Vegas has released the veteran defensive lineman.
The 2014 fifth-round pick out of Arkansas spent the first three seasons of his career with the Jaguars, but he’s bounced around a bit since. After spending the 2017 campaign with the Bengals, Smith spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Browns. He signed with the Panthers earlier this offseason, but he was cut by the organization in late July. He caught on with the Raiders a few weeks later.
In total, the 28-year-old has seen time in 60 regular season games (two starts), compiling 67 tackles and 8.5 sacks. His 2017 and 2018 seasons proved to be two of the best of his career, as he averaged 15.5 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumbles per year.
Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, Carl Nassib, Arden Key seemed to be locked in at defensive end for the Raiders, so it wasn’t going to be easy for Smith to make the roster.
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