Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/19
We’ve got a whole bunch of minor transactions from today as we head into the weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Wes Hills, CB Nate Brooks
- Released: WR Bryant Mitchell, CB Jonathan Moxey, RB Brandon Wilds
Houston Texans
- Waived: S Mike Tyson
- Placed on IR: OLB Duke Ejiofor
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: RB Martez Carter, LB Chase Hansen, TE Jake Powell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Jay Liggins
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DE Nate Orchard
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Brian Burt
Orchard, the former second round pick of the Browns, is probably the biggest name on this list. He was cut to make room for Ziggy Ansah, who the Seahawks officially announced today. Orchard had signed a one-year pact last month that didn’t contain any guaranteed money. It’s a pretty bad sign for his NFL future that he was apparently at the very bottom of the 90-man roster in Seattle.
Raiders Waive WR Jalin Marshall
Jalin Marshall‘s latest NFL opportunity lasted less than a week. Days after signing the former Jets wide receiver, the Raiders parted ways with him.
The Raiders now boast a crowded receiver room. Marshall was going to have to display plenty this offseason to warrant a spot on either the team’s active roster or practice squad.
In addition to their big-ticket moves, the Silver and Black signed J.J. Nelson and Ryan Grant, drafted Hunter Renfrow and added Keelan Doss as a UDFA.
Marshall, who fared well in the Alliance of American Football’s abbreviated season, has not played an NFL game since 2016. A UDFA out of Ohio State, Marshall caught 14 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. A PED suspension to start what would have been his second season scuttled any momentum Marshall built as a rookie. The Jets waived him shortly after the 2018 draft.
Raiders Add Former Patriots Scout
- In addition to hiring former Cowboys scout Jim Abrams as their new college scouting director, the Raiders added Dwayne Joseph as their pro scouting director, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Joseph spent the past four years in the same role with the Eagles and was a Bears staffer prior to that. With Mike Mayock retooling Oakland’s scouting department, more hires are on the way.
Raiders Sign 10 UDFAs
Teams continue to announce their undrafted free agent hauls. Here is the Raiders’ 10-man contingent:
- Te’von Coney, LB (Notre Dame)
- Lester Cotton, G (Alabama)
- Keelan Doss, WR (UC Davis)
- Koa Farmer, LB (Penn State)
- Alec Ingold, FB (Wisconsin)
- Andre James, T (UCLA)
- Dylan Mabin, CB (Fordham)
- Lukayus McNeil, G (Louisville)
- Keisean Nixon, CB (South Carolina)
- Tyler Roemer, T (San Diego)
Going heavy on offensive linemen after a nine-player draft did not bring any blockers, the Raiders added some big-school talent with extensive starting experience. Cotton started 28 games for the Crimson Tide, at both left and right guard, helping Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Raiders first-rounder Josh Jacobs to big per-carry numbers. McNeil has both guard and tackle experience and was a key presence (46 starts in a four-year career) in helping Lamar Jackson to two dominant seasons with the Cardinals.
The duo, along with James and Roemer, will battle to join 2018 second-round pick Brandon Parker among the Raiders’ backup linemen. With Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict signed to one-year deals, the Raiders’ Las Vegas tenure may need some new blood at linebacker. The Raiders did not draft one, so Coney (two 100-plus-tackle seasons with the Fighting Irish) and Farmer (28 starts with the Nittany Lions) figure to be candidates to stick around via the 53-man roster or, more likely, the practice squad.
Doss said he received better offers than what the Raiders proposed, but UC Davis’ all-time receiving leader opted to play for his hometown team (before it relocates to Vegas next year). Jon Gruden mentioned pre-draft that he wanted to add at least one more cornerback to the roster, but the Raiders drafted both Trayvon Mullen (in Round 2) and Isaiah Johnson (in Round 4). That will make Mabin and Nixon’s paths to the active roster difficult.
Raiders Hesitant To Sign Richie Incognito
- Mutual interest exists between the Raiders and Richie Incognito, but the team is hesitant at the moment because of the suspension the embattled guard is likely to receive. The former Rams, Bills and Dolphins guard obviously has a checkered past, and the Raiders would like some clarity on the soon-to-be 36-year-old’s situation before moving forward, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Jon Gruden‘s failed gamble on Martavis Bryant last year factors into this caution, Tafur writes, though it does not sound like an Incognito ban would nix a potential deal.
- The Raiders have added the following players to their wideout room: Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Ryan Grant, J.J. Nelson, Hunter Renfrow and Jalin Marshall. They also re-signed return specialist Dwayne Harris. But Gruden told UDFA Keelan Doss he has a “solid” chance of making the 53-man roster, Tafur writes (subscription required). An Alameda, Calif., native, Doss turned down better offers from other teams to play with his hometown squad, Tafur adds. Doss finished his UC Davis career with 312 catches and 4,069 yards — both school records.
[SOURCE LINK]
Raiders Sign Jalin Marshall
The Raiders signed wide receiver Jalin Marshall, according to an announcement from his agent. Marshall has been out of the NFL since being waved by the Jets following the 2018 season.
This year, the Ohio State product hooked on with the AAF’s Orlando franchise. Unfortunately, he was put out of work along with many other players when the league went belly-up midway through its inaugural season.
Still just 23 (24 in July), Marshall has 14 receptions for 162 yards to his credit. All of those came during his rookie season, one that also saw him factor into New York’s return game. Most notably, he returned 13 kicks for an average of 24.9 yards per try.
In 2017, Marshall was hit with a four-game ban for PEDs and spent the rest of the season on the taxi squad. This year, he managed 26 catches for 364 yards and three touchdowns in the AAF.
Marshall has an opportunity to see live action once again in the NFL, but little will be guaranteed here, especially since the Raiders now have eleven wide receivers on their offseason roster.
Richie Incognito Leaves Raiders Without Deal
6:24pm: Incognito has left the Raiders without a deal, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). However, Bair says that the two sides could come to terms later, and he confirmed that Incognito is in great shape.
5:10pm: Incognito has finished his workout but still needs to pass a physical before the Raiders consider signing him, per ESPN. Incognito pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct stemming from his arrest last August, so he may still be subject to some league discipline if he signs with a team. And that, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter), may be the only obstacle to getting a deal done. Pelissero hears that there is mutual interest, and that Incognito is in great shape.
11:19am: The Raiders will work out free agent guard Richie Incognito on Monday, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran was out of football last year out of a string of bizarre incidents, but he apparently wants to play again. 
Last year, Incognito agreed to a pay cut with the Bills only to “retire” for a short time and force his release from Buffalo. Days after his release, Florida cops placed Incognito in a mental hospital after he hurled weights at a gym and told officers that the government is spying on him. Incognito claimed that he drew interest even after that event, but as far as we know, his Oakland workout marks his only real inquiry in the last calendar year.
On the plus side, Garafolo hears that Incognito is feeling well “in all aspects.” If he’s healthy – both mentally and physically – Incognito could factor into the Raiders’ starting left guard competition following the trade of Kelechi Osemele to the Jets. The Raiders say that Gabe Jackson will remain on the right side, which currently leaves Denzelle Good as the leader in the clubhouse at LG.
In 2017, Incognito graded out as the 12th best guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He ranked seventh amongst all guards in 2016 and second in ’15, making him the Bills’ top-rated offensive lineman in that three year period.
Raiders Trade K Eddy Pineiro To Bears
Robbie Gould might not be coming back to Chicago after all. On Monday, the Bears acquired kicker Eddy Pineiro from the Raiders, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will net the Raiders a 2021 seventh-round pick, provided that Pineiro is on Chicago’s active roster for five games.
After last weekend’s rookie minicamp, the Bears trimmed their kickers down from four to two. Now, they have three kickers to audition in Pineiro, Elliott Fry, and Chris Blewitt.
Pineiro, who joined the Raiders as a UDFA out of Florida last year, has yet to kick in a regular season game. In the preseason last year, he made all three of his field goal tries, plus his lone XP attempt.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Aaron Adeoye, CB Terrell Bonds, OT Darrell Williams
- Waived: DB Robertson Daniel, S Evan Worthington, OL C.J. Toogood
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Tommy Doles, DE Jalen Dalton
- Cut: DB Adarius Pickett, DE Lawrence Marshall
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Jhavonte Dean, RB Travon Gray, LB Willie Harvey
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed: WR Jawill Davis
- Signed: WR Darrius Shepherd, CB Chandon Sullivan
- Released: RB Lavon Coleman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Reserve/non-football injury list: DE Tim Ward
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Bryce Hager
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Terrance Alexander, DE Stacy Keely, DB Isaiah Wharton
New England Patriots
- WR Xavier Ubosi
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Kenny Bigelow Jr., RB Devine Ozigbo, CB Jordan Wyatt
New York Giants
- Signed: G Austin Droogsma
New York Jets
- Waived: QB Brandon Silvers
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: P A.J. Cole, DT Ronald Ollie
- Waived: P Drew Kaser, OL Jamar McGloster
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed: OL Willie Beavers,
- Signed: LB LaRoy Reynolds, RB Austin Walter
- Waived: RB Matthew Dayes, DL Ryan Delaire
Raiders Still Looking For Guard Help
After signing several lower-key free agents last year, the Raiders operated aggressively in March. After adding Antonio Brown, the team signed Trent Brown, Lamarcus Joyner, Tyrell Williams, Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict. All are in line to start. But the Raiders’ most deficient area was not fully addressed until the draft. Mike Mayock did not view this year’s class of edge rushers as good fits for the Raiders, who then took three defensive ends in the draft. This perhaps affected the Raiders’ ability to sign UDFA defensive ends.
Most thought the Raiders reached at No. 4 to draft Clelin Ferrell, whom one league executive said (via Mike Sando of ESPN.com, ESPN+ link) was slower than an NFL quarterback of average speed. The Raiders also drafted Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby in the fourth round and Prairie View A&M’s Quinton Bell in the seventh. While the Raiders did sign Benson Mayowa in free agency, they may still need assistance at this position after their 2018 pass rush recorded the fewest sacks (13) of any NFL team in 10 seasons.
Here is the latest from the West divisions, continuing with a possible Raiders need area:
- Jon Gruden said Kolton Miller will stay at left tackle, with Trent Brown lining up on the right side and Brandon Parker now a swing player. Gabe Jackson will remain at right guard, but after the Raiders traded All-Pro Kelechi Osemele for a Day 3 pick, the team has a hole at left guard. Gruden said (via Bair) the team will still monitor outside help at that spot. As of now, 2018 waiver claim Denzelle Good is stationed with the first unit there. While Good made 20 starts with the Colts from 2015-17, the free agent market — which includes Andy Levitre, Stefen Wisniewski, Chance Warmack and Shawn Lauvao, among others — may be able to produce a better starter.