Raiders Host Shane Ray
The Raiders hosted free agent edge rusher Shane Ray, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. The club recently signed another former Broncos defender, Brandon Marshall, and Ray could follow suit.
Ray, whom Denver selected in the first round of the 2015 draft, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree, but he has shown flashes of promise. The 25-year-old (26 in May) amassed four sacks as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016. Injuries have derailed him somewhat, however, as he has just two sacks in the last two years combined.
But the Raiders are in dire need of pass rush help, and Ray makes plenty of sense as an upside play. Ray would likely serve as a defensive end in the club’s 4-3 scheme, and the top two DEs on the roster at the moment are Josh Mauro and 2018 third-rounder Arden Key, so if the two sides reach an agreement, Ray may have plenty of opportunity to rebuild his value.
Ray visited the Colts last month but left Indy without a deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves, with more Alliance of American Football players finding NFL homes:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Thomas Duarte (AAF), T Brandon Greene (AAF), WR Rashad Ross (AAF)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Shakir Soto (AAF)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Tyrone Holmes (AAF)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DE Karter Schult (AAF)
New York Jets
- Signed: WR/KR Valentine Holmes (International Player Pathway Program signee)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Demornay Pierson-El (AAF)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: QB Luis Perez (AAF)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Winston Craig (AAF), LB J.T. Jones (AAF), CB Kameron Kelly (AAF)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Keith Towbridge (AAF), QB Logan Woodside (AAF)
Washington Redskins
- Signed: G Salesi Uhatafe (AAF)
Draft Notes: Bush, Oliver, Gary
Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is meeting with the Giants tonight, and the visit will last until Monday, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. New York, armed with the Nos. 6 and 17 overall picks, will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch in the draft given the uncertainty surrounding its QB position. Despite that uncertainty, Big Blue could very well use both first-round selections on defensive playmakers, and Bush, one of the best LBs in the draft, would be a good fit with the 17th-overall selection.
Now for more draft rumblings from around the league:
- The Eagles have three picks in the first two rounds of the draft, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com expects the club to be very aggressive in trying to trade up. That will be especially true if Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver starts to fall, as Shorr-Parks believes Philadelphia will want to move up the draft board to land him. The team either has hosted, or will host, Oliver on an official visit.
- The Raiders recently met with Oliver and Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds that the Colts have met with Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary.
- After losing out on Odell Beckham Jr., the 49ers still have a major need at the WR position. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area believes there is a good chance the club uses its No. 36 overall pick on a wideout, and he names A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel as legitimate possibilities. San Francisco either has hosted, or will host, both players.
- We learned several weeks ago that Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins would meet with five teams, including the Broncos and Redskins, and Rapoport tweets that those visits will take place this week. Denver and Washington are among the clubs doing their homework on all of this year’s top passers.
- The Bengals are reportedly considering using their No. 11 overall pick on a QB, and while Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com believes it is unlikely Cincinnati goes that route, she concedes it is a definite possibility (Twitter link).
Raiders Eyeing More Cornerback Help
This offseason, the Raiders have added Nevin Lawson to their cornerback corps and retained Daryl Worley via second-round tender. UFA safety addition Lamarcus Joyner is also expected to help out in the slot.
Oakland remains in pursuit of more help at corner, though, Jon Gruden confirmed, via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area.
At this point, the logical scenario for the Raiders adding help here will come through the draft. They hold four of the draft’s top 35 selections. Although, the Raiders are in dire need of edge-rushing help, having only added Josh Mauro to a group chiefly responsible for a 13-sack season — the fewest any team has registered since 2008. And the Raiders have done some extensive research on quarterbacks, meeting with both Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins.
As of now, Worley and Gareon Conley stand to start on the outside, with Lawson potentially serving as a top backup and Joyner contributing in the slot. Nick Nelson, a 2018 fourth-round pick, is expected to be in the mix as well. Worley and Lawson are only signed through 2019. Pro Football Focus graded none of Oakland’s cornerbacks particularly well last season, with Conley topping the group in being graded as last year’s No. 68 corner in 679 snaps.
“We are looking for another corner,” Gruden said. “I think you need five corners. I think you gotta have five because they do get banged up. It is a very difficult position to play and sometimes you want to play three or four at a time.”
During Gruden’s second stint, the Raiders have obviously shown they are not averse to adding free agents in bulk. Morris Claiborne remains on the market. Brent Grimes is not yet planning a retirement. Davon House, Jamar Taylor and Kayvon Webster are also unattached. But higher-upside prospects certainly will be available later this month.
Greedy Williams, Deandre Baker, Rock Ya-Sin and Byron Murphy front a corner class that is not viewed as exceptional, but it’s a safe bet multiple members of this group will be first-round picks. The Raiders hold picks 24 and 27, which would place them in the range to land a member of this quartet.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/5/19
We’ve got a bunch of minor moves today, with a handful of players being signed from the recently defunct AAF:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: G Kitt O’Brien, C Parker Collins (both from AAF)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: P Kasey Redfern
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OL Michael Dunn (AAF)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DB Duke Thomas, DB Derron Smith
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Alex Barrett, S Jordan Richards
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: C J.C. Hassenauer, DB Jack Tocho (both from AAF)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Damontre Moore (AAF)
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DE Andrew Ankrah (AAF)
Raiders Work Out Charcandrick West
The Raiders worked out running back Charcandrick West, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). As previously reported, the club also worked out fellow running back Robert Turbin on Thursday, but Rapoport hears that both players will be in wait-and-see mode until after the draft. 
West, 28 in June, enjoyed his most productive campaign in 2015, when he managed 160 carries for 634 yards and four touchdowns. In 2016 and 2017, however, his rushing role with Kansas City declined. While he played more than 500 offensive snaps from 2016-17, West handled only 106 total carries in that span. Last year, he hooked on with KC towards the end of the year, but had only two carries for -1 yard.
Oakland is in the process of revamping its backfield, as both Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin are currently in free agent limbo. Last week, the Raiders agreed to a one-year deal with Isaiah Crowell, who looks to be the favorite for early-down touches. Restricted free agent Jalen Richard — tendered at the second-round level — will likely handle passing down work, while DeAndre Washington, Chris Warren, and James Butler comprise the rest of Oakland’s running back depth chart.
Raiders Release WR Seth Roberts
The Raiders released wide receiver Seth Roberts, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Roberts exits one day after the club signed fellow receiver Ryan Grant, giving the club a totally revamped WR group for 2019. 
Last month, the Raiders swung a blockbuster trade for Antonio Brown, signed ex-Charger Tyrell Williams, and released veteran Jordy Nelson. After Grant entered the mix, there was simply no room for Roberts, who inked a three-year, $12MM extension with the Raiders in 2017.
Roberts was due to make a $4.45MM base salary this season and up to $4.8MM through bonuses. However, his base pay was completely guaranteed, allowing the Raiders to shed the entire sum of his contract.
Roberts, 28, had 45 receptions for 494 yards and two touchdowns in 2018. In the previous year, however, he set new career highs with 43 catches for 455 yards and caught 66.2% of the balls thrown his way.
Raiders To Host RB Robert Turbin
The Raiders are scheduled to work out free agent running back Robert Turbin on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Oakland is in the process of revamping its backfield, as both Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin are currently in free agent limbo. Last week, the Raiders agreed to a one-year deal with Isaiah Crowell, who looks to be the favorite for early-down touches. Restricted free agent Jalen Richard — tendered at the second-round level — will likely handle passing down work, while DeAndre Washington, Chris Warren, and James Butler comprise the rest of Oakland’s running back depth chart.
Turbin, 29, started the 2018 campaign on the Colts’ suspended list after being handed a four-game performance-enhancing drug ban. The former Seahawk, Brown, and Cowboy was activated in October, but didn’t have much a role behind Marlon Mack, who’d taken hold of Indianapolis’ starting running job during the first month of the season. Turbin appeared in only two games and posted just four carries before the Colts cut him in early November.
If signed by the Raiders, Turbin would serve in a veteran backup role and likely wouldn’t be counted on as a focal point of Oakland’s offense. He hasn’t topped 50 attempts or four yards per carry since 2014, and averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per touch during his three-year run with the Colts. On the plus side, Football Outsiders in 2016 charted Turbin as one of the more effective running backs who handled fewer than 100 carries.
Raiders Sign WR Ryan Grant
The Raiders made another addition to their receiving corps on Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with Ryan Grant. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $2.5MM, tweets Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Grant will join Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson as new pass-catching cogs in Oakland. The Raiders were interested in Grant last offseason, but he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Colts.
Only winding up in Indianapolis because his four-year, $29MM Baltimore deal fell through, with the Ravens soon after adding then-recent Raiders cut Michael Crabtree, Grant did visit Oakland last year in between his Ravens and Colts agreements. He’ll now join a Raiders wideout group that will look almost entirely different from its 2018 version.
Seth Roberts is the only notable player left from the Reggie McKenzie era’s receiving arsenals, and the longtime Raider slot target is no lock to be on the team come September. Jon Gruden‘s team cut Crabtree last year, doing so before trading Amari Cooper. The Raiders released Jordy Nelson, who has since retired, earlier this offseason.
With the Colts, Grant caught 35 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown. He attracted more interest following a 45-reception, 573-yard, four-TD season with the Redskins in 2017. But after a failed physical with the Ravens, Grant signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Colts. It’s unlikely this Raiders pact is worth more than that.
Raiders To Meet With DT Quinnen Williams
- While Nick Bosa is expected to be the first defensive player off the board, Quinnen Williams has been looming as a potential top-three pick as well. The Alabama interior defender met with the 49ers on Monday night, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, adding a Raiders summit is up next for the high-end D-line prospect. Holding the No. 3 overall pick, the Jets figure to also be in play for Williams. Both Bay Area teams, however, are doing extensive work on this class’ top defenders.
- Another possible top-10 defensive line pick, Rashan Gary spent time in Jacksonville on Tuesday, per Pelissero (on Twitter). The Jaguars visit represents one of many for the Michigan-developed defensive lineman. He was already mentioned as a 49ers, Raiders and Bengals top-30 visit. Gary finished his Wolverines career with just 9.5 sacks, but the 6-foot-4 defender carries elite measureables — including a 4.58 40-yard dash — that have him projected as one of the top players available.