Cabinda Likely To See Big Role For Raiders
- Former Penn State linebacker Jason Cabinda didn’t make the Raiders out of training camp, but the team remained high on him. They signed him to the practice squad, and now Oakland apparently counting on him to play a major role in their defense moving forward, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. Tafur writes that “all indications” are Cabinda is going to play a heavy amount of snaps this weekend against the Colts. The Raiders cut veteran Derrick Johnson recently, and Tafur writes they did so in large part because they believe in Cabinda.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/24/18
Today’s workout updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Arizona Cardinals
- TE Ethan Wolf; K Zane Gonzalez
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Marcus Lucas
Cleveland Browns
- WR Deontez Alexander, Marcus Tucker; CB Linden Stephens; LB Corey Nelson
Detroit Lions
- RBs Gerald Holmes, Jalen Simmons; DE Anthony Lanier; DT Josh Banks
Houston Texans
- TE Khari Lee
Indianapolis Colts
- WRs C.J. Board, Montay Crockett, Chad Hansen; DT Zaycoven Henderson; S A.J. Howard
Jacksonville Jaguars
- LBs Richie Brown, Colton Jumper, Mike Needham, Aaron Wallace; CB Breon Borders; S Jack Tocho
Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
- T Andrew Lauderdale
Oakland Raiders
- OTs Darius James, Jamar McGloster, De’Ondre Wesley; Gs Maurquice Shakir, Isaiah Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- G J.J. Dielman; S Justin Currie
Tennessee Titans
- RB Ralph Webb; TE Khari Lee; DT Vincent Valentine; LBs Vontarrius Dora, Gimel President
Jets Made Strong Push For Khalil Mack
On Sunday, the Jets will face off against Khalil Mack at Soldier Field. Had things gone differently, Mack could have been on their side in Chicago. The Jets were willing to part with a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick, and more in a trade with Oakland, but the Raiders did not engage with the Jets late in the bidding process that ended with the Bears getting the star defensive end, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. 
Ultimately, the Raiders traded Mack to the Bears for two first-rounders, a 2020 third-rounder, and a 2019 sixth-rounder. The Bears also received the Raiders’ 2020 second-rounder and a 2020 conditional fifth-rounder.
The Jets might have been willing to match or exceed the Bears offer. Even now, coach Todd Bowles struggles to hide his affinity for the league’s most terrifying defensive player.
“He’s more of a complete outside backer than most,” Bowles said. “There are fast ones, there are strong ones, but he can do all of the above. He can run around you. He can run over you. He can strip the ball. He can catch the ball. He can drop in coverage. He’s a more complete player than a lot of players today.”
The Jets believe that the Raiders did not want to trade Mack within the conference, which led to the Bears deal. The Raiders may have been able to get more out of the Jets, but they did limit their exposure to Mack for a long time by shipping him to the NFC. After the trade, Mack inked a massive extension with Chicago that will keep him in place through the 2024 season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Kofi Amichia
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Will House
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Jalen Myrick, OL Adam Bisnowaty
- Released: DL Curtis Cothran
- Placed on PS-IR: DL Jonathan Wynn
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: G Landon Turner
- Cut: QB J.T. Barrett
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Garrett Dickerson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Cayson Collins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Javien Elliott
Gruden: Cooper Trade More About Pick
- Addressing the trade that sent Amari Cooper to the Cowboys, Jon Gruden said (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken, on Twitter) this was more about acquiring a valuable draft pick than the Raiders being dissatisfied with the wide receiver. Reggie McKenzie said Monday that Dallas offering a first-rounder was a proposal he could not pass on.
- Citing Gruden’s inconsistent draft history with the Buccaneers, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry wonders how well the Raiders coach will fare in rebuilding this team that now has three 2019 first-round picks. Gruden assumed full Bucs control during the 2003 season, and only one of his draft choices (2006 first-rounder Davin Joseph) made a Pro Bowl as a Buccaneer (although, 2008 first-rounder Aqib Talib made several after leaving Tampa Bay). Both Michael Clayton and Cadillac Williams started strong before failing to match their rookie seasons’ excellence, with Corry adding Gruden’s draft work in Tampa Bay does not measure up to McKenzie’s high-end 2014 haul of Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson.
Teams Interested In Gareon Conley
- Patrick Peterson is either off the market, or the Cardinals are orchestrating an impressive smokescreen, so cornerback-needy teams will need to look elsewhere. Some are gauging whether the Raiders would trade another Reggie McKenzie first-round pick, with Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweeting teams are inquiring about Gareon Conley. Janoris Jenkins is the other player contenders are monitoring, but Conley is only in his second season. He is, however, one of the many Raiders who’ve seen their stock drop under Jon Gruden. The Raiders benched Conley prior to their London game; he’d started the previous five Oakland games after missing almost all of his rookie season due to a shin injury. However, the Raiders aren’t believed to be ready to part with Conley. JLC adds the Eagles, Patriots and Steelers are among the teams exploring what it would take to land a corner.
Eddie Vanderdoes Back At Practice
- Raiders defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes is practicing with the team this week, reports ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez (via Twitter). Since the former third-rounder is on the PUP, he’ll have to be activated or placed on the injured reserve within the next three weeks. The UCLA product compiled 18 tackles in 16 games (13 starts) last season.
[SOURCE LINK]
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Rees Odhiambo (from Colts’ practice squad)
- Released: OG Zac Kerin
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OG Oday Aboushi
- Released: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: DT Willie Henry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jordan Franks
- Placed on IR: TE Mason Schreck
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Pharaoh Brown
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: DT Jay Bromley
New York Giants
- Released from IR: LB Ray Ray Armstrong
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: S Doug Middleton
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Marcell Ateman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB De’Vante Harris
- Waived: CB Javien Elliott
Tennessee Titans
- Released from IR: WR Michael Campanaro
Raiders Waive Obi Melifonwu From IR
Obi Melifonwu‘s tenure with the Raiders has come to an end. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the organization has waived the defensive back off of the injured reserve. The team has also promoted wideout Marcell Ateman and offensive lineman Denver Kirkland from the practice squad (via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Twitter).
Melifonwu was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft following a standout career at Connecticut. The 24-year-old safety played sparingly during his rookie campaign, compiling seven tackles in five games (one start). Melifonwu was placed on the IR twice during his first season, and he was waived/injured by the Raiders back in August. After clearing waivers, he landed on the team’s injured reserve.
Ateman was a seventh-round pick by the organization in this past year’s draft. The Oklahoma State product was waived at the end of the preseason, and he subsequently caught on with the team’s practice squad. Kirkland has been with the organization for several seasons after going undrafted out of Arkansas during the 2016 draft. The 24-year-old started four of his six games back in 2016.
Earlier today, the Raiders made a switch at kicker. The team signed Daniel Carlson and waived Matt McCrane.
Raiders Cut K Matt McCrane
The Raiders waived kicker Matt McCrane, according to Matt Schneidman of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). To replace him, the Raiders signed Daniel Carlson.
The Raiders signed McCrane after losing Mike Nugent to a hip injury, but he didn’t kick like Nugent in his three games with the team. He went 5-for-9 on field goal tries, and just 2-for-6 when subtracting chip shots from 20-29 yards out.
Carlson has had his own struggles this year. The fifth-round pick of the Vikings missed three field goals in Week 2, and was quickly dropped by Minnesota.
Carlson will make his Raiders debut on Sunday when the Colts travel to Oakland.