Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/18
Todays minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LS Drew Williams, CB Jarell Carter, CB C.J. Goodwin, RB Darius Victor
- Waived/injured: LB Gabe Martin
Baltimore Ravens
- Claimed off waivers: DB Kai Nacua (from Browns)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OT Korren Kirven
- Waived: TE Kent Taylor
Houston Texans
- Waived : OL Jake Rodgers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Anthony Firkser, CB Sheldon Price, DT Mike Purcell
Oakland Raiders
- Suspended for four games: OL Vadal Alexander (PEDs)
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers: OLB Gimel President (from Texans)
Redskins’ Bruce Allen Won’t Join Raiders
There’s a belief in league circles that Redskins president Bruce Allen hopes to eventually return to the Raiders, Mike Florio of PFT reports. However, Allen tells SiriusXM (audio link) that he’s not leaving for Oakland. 
“Well, first of all, I do like the Silver and Black, and I think Mark Davis, [GM] Reggie [McKenzie] and Jon [Gruden] are going to do great. And I’m so excited for them to go to Vegas,” Allen said. “But I’m not going there. And I’m not going to play shortstop for the Nationals either tonight…I have a job to do, and we’re really looking forward to this season, and what we’re going to be doing off the field here, and future stadiums in Washington.”
Allen worked with Gruden while with the Raiders and Buccaneers, so the rumblings are only logical. If the Redskins struggle badly this year and Allen finds himself out of a job, it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on.
Last year, the Redskins finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for a second straight year. This year, they’ll try to right the ship with Alex Smith replacing Kirk Cousins under center.
Raiders’ Donald Penn Accused Of Domestic Violence
Raiders left tackle Donald Penn is a suspect in a domestic violence incident, according to TMZ. Penn allegedly slapped his wife’s behind and poured a drink on her head, which resulted in her calling the police. By the time cops arrived at their Los Angeles home, Penn had already left the scene. 
In a joint statement to TMZ, Penn and his wife downplayed the incident:
“There was a verbal disagreement, there was NO physical altercation. The two are in the middle of a divorce and it is a hard time for both parties.”
New head coach Jon Gruden shook things up this offseason, but Penn remains a big part of the Raiders’ game plan for 2018. He didn’t have his best campaign last year, but he still graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 ranked tackle in the NFL. Quality tackles are in short supply in today’s game and the Raiders badly need to have Penn on the field this year.
Last offseason, Penn had some offseason contract drama with the Raiders, but the two sides smoothed things out in time for the start of the season. In September, they agreed to a two-year, $21MM extension that is supposed to him in place through 2019. The revised deal calls for a $8.35MM cap number this year ($3MM guaranteed) and a $10.35MM cap figure in ’19 (non-guaranteed).
Penn is slated to start for Oakland on the left side with first-round pick Kolton Miller manning the other.
Raiders To Overhaul Personnel Department
When the draft wraps up in any given year, a rash of pink slips are handed out to scouts around the league, who suddenly find themselves without work after helping make the draft a reality. But in addition to the usual scouting spring cleaning, the Raiders plan to make dramatic changes to the upper levels of their personnel department, according to Alex Marvez of the Sporting News. 
Per Marvez, Oakland is expected to add at least one new personnel executive to the front office, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that Ed Marynowitz and Brian Heimerdinger are potential candidates for the job. Marvez also hears that player personnel director Joey Clinkscales could be on his way out. Clinkscales, who previously worked as Vice President of College Scouting for the Jets and who has been a GM candidate twice in his career, has been with the Raiders since 2012, but Marvez suggests that he might be headed to the Browns‘ front office.
Clinkscales joined the Raiders in 2012, and his longstanding relationship with Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie may have made the team a good fit for both men. But head coach Jon Gruden, who rejoined the silver-and-black this offseason, apparently wants to shake things up a bit throughout the department, which is not an uncommon development when a new head coach or GM comes on board.
Gruden now has final say on roster decisions, usurping a bit of McKenzie’s power, but McKenzie and Gruden both say that they are working well together. McKenzie said, “I got a feel for coach Gruden. We like the same type of players.”
A Raiders spokesman decline comment as to whether major changes are forthcoming.
AFC West Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders
Despite visiting with each of this draft’s top four quarterbacks and being consistently rumored to have a couple of them on their radar, the Broncos did not select one throughout the draft. And they aren’t planning on bringing another one in before training camp. John Elway said Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly will compete for the backup job behind Case Keenum, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. This is an interesting approach considering both players are coming off injury-marred years. Lynch will be the only active-roster Broncos QB returning since the team let Brock Osweiler depart in free agency and traded Trevor Siemian. Denver is evidently set at the game’s marquee position, putting faith in Keenum.
Here’s the latest from the AFC West:
- The Raiders had a busy weekend, making multiple trades for veteran players and taking multiple high-ceiling, low-floor defenders. But they did not invest big in off-ball linebackers, and Reggie McKenzie said (via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com) a NaVorro Bowman acquisition remains on the table. This has been the GM’s party line for a bit now, but it’s notable that stance remains after the Raiders brought in Tahir Whitehead to start and multiple other veteran backups. Bowman started for the Raiders most of last season and was by far their top-graded linebacker, in the opinion of Pro Football Focus.
- In selecting a player with possible first-round talent in the fifth, the Raiders may have a steal in Maurice Hurst Jr. But the Michigan-developed defensive tackle will be subject to annual heart evaluations after the issue that caused his stock to slip. However, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes (via Twitter) the Raiders do not view this as a flier or year-to-year proposition. Hurst was cleared going into the draft after being flagged for a heart problem at the Combine, but it’s clear all 32 teams were not in agreement on Hurst being a safe bet.
- Each of the Chiefs‘ six draft picks went to addressing their defense, which ranked 30th in DVOA last season. But Louis Riddick of ESPN reported during the draft sixth-round pick Kahlil McKenzie — Reggie’s son — will begin his career at guard despite playing defensive tackle at Tennessee. The Chiefs lost Bennie Logan this offseason but drafted Derrick Nnadi out of Florida State to potentially move into that role. Kahlil McKenzie, then, will attempt to carve out a spot on the offensive line.
Cowboys Trade Ryan Switzer To Raiders
Hours after acquiring Tavon Austin from the Rams, the Cowboys are set to send one of their slot weapons and return options to California.
The Raiders will trade for Ryan Switzer, Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL.com report (Twitter link). Switzer came to the Cowboys as a 2017 fourth-round pick. The deal will bring back 2016 Raiders second-round pick Jihad Ward, a defensive lineman that has struggled as a pro.
Switzer served as Dallas’ primary return man, working in both return capacities as a rookie. He’ll now join a Raiders team that not only added a former Cowboy return man this offseason in Dwayne Harris but one that’s retooling its non-Amari Cooper contingent of the wideouts’ room.
This is Oakland’s second wide receiver acquisition via trade this weekend. The Raiders added Martavis Bryant as well. The primary connector here between Switzer and the Raiders is new Oakland special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, who coached the North Carolina product with the Cowboys last season.
The Raiders have been trying to unload incumbent slot player Seth Roberts, but as of now he remains on the team. They’ve added Jordy Nelson as well and dumped Michael Crabtree, so the Silver and Black’s receiving corps will look completely different in 2018.
An Illinois product, Ward profiled as a project player coming to Oakland in 2016. The Raiders have a new defensive coordinator and have added a slew of defensive line options in this draft — most notably Arden Key and Maurice Hurst Jr. — so Ward will be departing. He graded as the worst full-time interior defender as a rookie, per Pro Football Focus, and didn’t see much time last season.
Raiders Trade Up To 140, Take Maurice Hurst
A day after taking a first-round talent whose stock plummeted, the Raiders have repeated the practice. And it took another trade to do so.
Per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter), Oakland surrendered its Nos. 159 and 185 overall selections to trade into Indianapolis’ No. 140 slot, where Maurice Hurst Jr. became the pick.
The Michigan interior pass rusher was viewed as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the draft, but heart issues caused him to fall to this juncture of the draft. Hurst will join Arden Key as defensive linemen heading to Oakland. Jon Gruden‘s team is ready to gamble on some boom-or-bust talent in hopes of creating a better supporting cast for Khalil Mack, whose team has lacked such a contingent for a while now.
Hurst was given clearance from his heart condition, one that emerged at the Combine, recently. But teams still stayed away until Day 3. Nevertheless, the Michigan defensive tackle combined to register 24.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, and the Raiders have struggled to generate interior pressure for years now. Top inside rusher Mario Edwards is entering a contract year as well.
Raiders Trade With Rams, Select Arden Key
Arden Key‘s slide looks to have stopped. The Raiders have moved into the No. 87 draft position and are selecting the LSU edge defender.
The Rams traded out of the No. 87 slot and will drop back two positions in this third round, with Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) Los Angeles will also collect a a sixth-round compensatory pick (No. 217) in this exchange.
Key was projected by some to be a first-round pick earlier in the pre-draft process, and he joins former LSU teammate Derrius Guice as Tigers to endure lengthy slips during draft weekend.
A dominant player in 2016 with an LSU-record 12.5 sacks, the 6-foot-6 Key spent time in rehab for marijuana usage and was overweight for his final season in Baton Rouge, La. But Key is viewed as a first-round-level talent, and he’ll join an edge-rushing contingent and is set to play behind Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.
Raiders Acquire Ravens’ No. 65 Pick
The Raiders are moving to the top of the third round and will use multiple picks to make that jump, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets.
Oakland acquired the No. 65 choice from the Ravens and will send Nos. 75, 152 and 212 to Baltimore. The Raiders used the pick to draft another offensive lineman, North Carolina A&T’s Brandon Parker.
The 6-foot-7 Parker will follow the 6-9 Kolton Miller to the Bay Area as offensive line reinforcements. The Silver and Black are in need of right tackle help and have Donald Penn entering his age-35 season on the left edge. Each of Oakland’s three 2018 picks so far have come on the lines, with second-round defensive lineman P.J. Hall joining the blockers as the newest Raiders.
Titans Acquire No. 41 Pick From Raiders
After trading up to land Rashaan Evans in Round 1, the Titans have moved up again. The Titans acquired the No. 41 overall pick from the Raiders, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets.
The Titans continued to add to their front seven, selecting Boston College pass rusher Harold Landry. Oakland now owns an additional third-round pick, No. 89, and moved into Tennessee’s No. 57 slot in the second round, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Landry was projected by most to go off the board on Thursday night, but some teams had concerns about the edge defender’s medical history. Landry missed nearly half of Boston College’s 2017 season with an ankle malady. This and a back issue concerned some teams. However, it looks to be clear the Titans were not one of them.
The Titans have added two players to their second level, with Landry likely slotting in at outside linebacker in Tennessee’s 3-4 set. Landry dominated as a junior, registering 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss.