Raiders Hoping For Donald Penn Return
Raiders offensive tackle Donald Penn has been on injured reserve since early October, but head coach Jon Gruden is still hoping to get him back on the field this season (via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area). 
[RELATED: Raiders Want To Keep Doug Martin]
“He has been downstairs rehabbing and we are hoping he can come back and help us,” Gruden said. “I don’t know how close he is officially, but he is making progress. Hope to have him on the field before the season is over.”
Of course, the 2-9 Raiders aren’t playing for much this year, so there’s little sense in putting Penn on the field if he is less than 100%. There’s also the matter of his contract. As it stands, only $1.750MM of his 2019 income is guaranteed. However, if he were to suffer a serious injury, the Raiders could be on the hook for his entire salary.
Also, activating Penn would rule out the possibility of a Marshawn Lynch return. The Raiders already burned one IR-DTR spot on defensive tackle Justin Ellis, so activating Penn would keep Lynch from playing in the team’s Christmas Eve home finale against the Broncos.
Penn appeared in 14 games for the Raiders last season, the first time in his career that he failed to appear in all 16 regular season contests. Pro Football Focus ranked him 23rd among eligible tackles, proving that the veteran still has something left in the tank.
Raiders Want To Keep Doug Martin
Doug Martin is slated to reach free agency in the spring, but Raiders head coach Jon Gruden would like to keep him from the open market. This week, Gruden indicated that he is hoping to keep the running back in 2019.
“He’s a good back. I think I’ll say it again and again, he’s a very good player,” Gruden said (via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area). “He’s been a great player in this league. He’s running it. He’s catching it. He picked up some blitz that were flushed. We did a lot of good things on the film that I look at. We’re proud of what we did against a very good defense. We thought Doug Martin played extremely well.”
Martin, an Oakland native, joined the Raiders on a one-year deal that can be worth up to $1.475MM. Despite his inconsistent past, he could be in line for a pay bump thanks to his recent play. Since taking over for the injured Marshawn Lynch, Martin has averaged 4.6 yards per tote. His latest quality performance came on Sunday as he rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown off of eleven carries.
Beast Mode is also ticketed for free agency but it’s not clear whether Gruden & Co. want him back. Meanwhile, backup Jalen Richard will be a restricted free agent.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Montay Crockett
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB John Franklin III
Detroit Lions
- Released: DB Horace Richardson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Teo Redding
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Je’Ron Hamm, QB Phillip Walker
- Released: DE Anthony Winbush
New York Giants
- Released: K Marshall Koehn
Oakland Raiders
- Released: CB Arrion Springs
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB James Onwualu
Washington Redskins
- Released: T Jarron Jones
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (Seahawks): TE Darrell Daniels
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DB Darian Thompson
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Garrett Dickerson
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Quadree Henderson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed off Ravens’ practice squad: TE Darren Waller
- Waived: WR Johnny Holton
- Placed on injured reserve: DE Jacquies Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Demone Harris
- Waived: S Godwin Igwebuike
Raiders DT Justin Ellis Designated For Return
Justin Ellis was back at practice yesterday, and the Raiders announced that they’ve designated the defensive lineman to return from the injured reserve. The team will now have 21 days to add the veteran to their active roster. We heard last week that the 27-year-old was nearing a return to practice.
“It was a great feeling [to get back on the field],” Ellis said. “I was smiling inside, I was working trying to knock the rust off. Inside, seeing my guys happy to have me back was a great feeling.”
Ellis originally suffered a foot injury during Oakland’s season-opener against the Rams, and the team subsequently placed him on the injured reserve. It was expected that the 27-year-old would return to practice in late October, but the defensive tackle apparently needed some extra time to recover.
“He looks good, it’ll be great to get him back,” said defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. “We haven’t had him since the first ball game, he’s a big part of what we’re doing here. He practiced yesterday, but he looks good. He feels good, and hopefully he’ll be up and running Sunday.”
The Raiders’ new regime will certainly want to see what they have in Ellis, especially after he inked a three-year, $15MM extension with the team during the offseason. Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s better run stopping tackles last year, and he finished the 2017 campaign with 48 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 16 games (14 starts).
Ellis was one of three Raiders defensive tackles currently sitting on the injured reserve (along with Eddie Vanderdoes and Ahtyba Rubin). When he’s ultimately added to the active roster, he’ll be joining a healthy grouping that includes P.J. Hall, Maurice Hurst, Johnathan Hankins, and Clinton McDonald.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/18
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Linden Stephens
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: Arthur Maulet
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
Raiders Promote Johnny Holton
The Raiders are set to promote Johnny Holton from the practice squad, according to Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter). Holton is likely to see time as a special teams gunner, though he may also serve as depth in the secondary.
Holton played wide receiver at the University of Cincinnati and in his 31 games as a member of the Raiders from 2016-2017. But, when he missed the team’s final cut to 53 this year, the club asked him to join the practice squad as a defensive back. He admits that there’s an adjustment, but he’s not completely out of his depth.
“Not really, because I knew the receiver splits,” Holton said in September when asked if anything has surprised him about the new position. “So, wherever they’re lining up at, I pretty much know what kind of route they’re about to run, and things like that by being a receiver myself. So being at DB, I can just read their splits and kind of just tell what route they’re [going to] run.”
All in all, Holton has embraced the change and he’s excited to make his first career play on defense.
“It’ll be a pretty cool moment,” he said. “I know the guys in the locker room will love to see that, and joke about that, and things like that.”
Holton’s first play on D may come on Sunday if he’s active against the Ravens.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Hunter Sharp, WR Aaron Wallace
- Placed on IR: DL Andrew Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: T David Steinmetz
- Released: CB Andre Chachere
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Saeed Blacknall
- Released: WR Rashard Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Anthony Fabiano, CB Jeremiah McKinnon
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Malachi Dupre
- Released: RB Troymaine Pope
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/18
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Corey Thompson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Keon Hatcher (off Packers’ practice squad)
- Waived: WR Saeed Blacknall
Raiders WR Brandon LaFell Out For Season
The Raiders’ depleted receiving corps got a little thinner on Sunday after veteran wideout Brandon LaFell tore his Achilles vs. the Cardinals, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets. 
A nine-year veteran, LaFell served as a solid No. 2 or 3 receiver on a handful of squads, most recently with Cincinnati before signing with the Raiders in 2018. LaFell emerged as a serviceable pass catcher in his short time with Oakland, logging at least three grabs in three consecutive games. He posted two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown prior to the injury. He finished the 2018 season with 13 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
With Amari Cooper traded to Dallas, and Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant both sidelined with knee injuries, the Raiders depth at receiver has dwindled down to veteran Seth Roberts and rookie Marcell Ateman. Should Nelson and Bryant remain out, the Raiders will likely look to bring in a veteran during the week.