Raiders Work Out Brian Dixon, Other DBs
- Holding an apparent defensive backs-only audition, the Raiders worked out several secondary cogs this week. Cornerback Brian Dixon, Demetrius McCray and Deji Olatoye participated. As did ex-Giants safety Mykkele Thompson, per Balzer (on Twitter). Dixon is the biggest name of this contingent, having spent three seasons with the Saints.
Latest On Derek Carr’s Return
Derek Carr made a surprising return to Raiders practice on Thursday despite being diagnosed with a transverse process fracture earlier this week. However, that unexpected re-emergence doesn’t mean he’ll return for Week 5.
Oakland’s franchise quarterback will still miss the Raiders’ home tilt against the Ravens on Sunday, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com notes. EJ Manuel will still take the field for the first time as a Raiders starter, being set to do so because the Raiders don’t want to unnecessarily accelerate Carr’s return timetable, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes.
The fourth-year passer was given a two-to-six-week recovery schedule despite the fact Tony Romo and Cam Newton returned from transverse process fractures after missing one game apiece. Carr went through the team’s stretching period and got in some throws, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, but it doesn’t sound like this was an extensive workout barely four days after suffering the back injury. Left tackle Donald Penn also referred to Carr as “very ahead of schedule,” per Bair (on Twitter).
The Raiders have home games against the Ravens and Chargers the next two Sundays before the Chiefs make a visit to the Bay Area for a critical Thursday-night clash. Bair and Gehlken note there’s a chance Carr returns for the Week 6 game against the Bolts. That goal being in play would, if nothing else, put Carr on a better track to face the Chiefs, if indeed he sits against the Chargers the Sunday prior.
Albert Breer On Cousins, Garoppolo, Raiders
This year’s free agent quarterback market is shaping up to be one of the strongest in recent memory, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes. Teams are always eager to draft their next franchise QB, but this year it might make more sense for teams to sign a veteran instead. 
“Fans and media want their guy—the start-from-the-bottom, untainted rookie,” one AFC exec told Breer. “And the Moneyball guys will say it’s cheaper through the draft, which is true. Bu if the point is to have a functional starting quarterback, any football guy will tell you that while everyone wants a Brady or Rodgers, the reality is those are fewer and father between. So a Kirk Cousins or a Jimmy Garoppolo? I think football guys are drooling over that. If a guy like that gets out in free agency? You see what K.C. can do with Alex Smith. Put Cousins on a good squad with a good coach, I don’t know many football guys that’ll say that won’t work. And all those guys you named, they all can play at a starting caliber level … You can solve your problem before you get to the draft.”
The crop of potentially available signal callers goes far beyond just Cousins and Garoppolo. Drew Brees, who turns 39 in January, has looked great through the first month of the season. At least one of the Vikings’ signal callers – Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater – should be there for the taking in March and the aforementioned Smith might not have a place in Kansas City thanks to the presence of Patrick Mahomes. Meanwhile, A.J. McCarron is still viewed as a hot property even though he’s on the Bengals’ bench.
Here’s more from Breer’s column:
- Did the Patriots make a mistake by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore this offseason? Gilmore made costly mental and communication errors against Carolina on Sunday and that’s nothing new, based on what three sources who were in Buffalo last season tell Breer. Gilmore did quite a bit of finger-pointing last year, they say, and also made business decisions on run plays as he nursed a shoulder injury. Gilmore is in Year One of a five-year, $65MM deal which included an $18MM signing bonus. The pact calls for $31MM fully guaranteed through 2018.
- The Raiders didn’t give much consideration at all to signing a stopgap quarterback in the wake of Derek Carr’s injury, Breer hears. That could have been a deliberate move to keep the team’s confidence high, but he hears that the Raiders legitimately like what they have in EJ Manuel and Connor Cook. Eyebrows were raised when it was reported that the Raiders did not consider signing Colin Kaepernick, but it sounds like they didn’t give real though to signing any quarterback.
Raiders Not Considering Colin Kaepernick
The Raiders will be without Derek Carr for a while, but they’re not about to go out-of-house to replace him. The Raiders have no plans to add a quarterback to their 53-man roster, a team source tells ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Meanwhile, another source tells his colleague Josina Anderson (Twitter link) that the team is “not yet” ready to consider Colin Kaepernick. 
[RELATED: Raiders’ Carr Suffers Injury]
The Raiders will turn to former Bills starter E.J. Manuel as their No. 1 QB this Sunday and it only makes sense for them to give him a chance before looking at other options. NFL sophomore Connor Cook will serve as Manuel’s understudy, so even if he falters, the Raiders could theoretically still stand pat.
We’re now at the quarter mark of the season, but Kaepernick hasn’t had so much as an NFL nibble in weeks. Last week, we learned that Kaepernick (unsurprisingly) is not interested in the CFL.
Latest On Raiders QB Derek Carr
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr suffered a transverse process fracture in his back, coach Jack Del Rio told reporters on Monday afternoon. The team will have to see how he responds to treatment before getting an exact timetable for his recovery. Typically, Del Rio explained, this injury calls for a 2-6 week recovery period. 
Carr will almost certainly miss Sunday’s game against the Ravens and he should probably he considered doubtful for the following week against the Chargers as well. While he’s out, E.J. Manuel will be the team’s top signal caller with 24-year-old Connor Cook serving as his backup.
Last season, Carr completed 63.8% of his passes for 3,937 yards, 28 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 QB last season, putting him ahead of Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, and several other major names. Only Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Luck, and Russell Wilson finished with higher scores than Carr.
In June, the Raiders signed Carr a lucrative extension worth roughly $25MM/year.
Derek Carr To Undergo MRI
Derek Carr left the Raiders’ Week 4 loss to the Broncos in the third quarter with a back injury, and Oakland’s cornerstone player will undergo an MRI Monday after having X-rays done during the game. However, Jack Del Rio offered an early assessment.
The third-year Raiders coach said Carr was experiencing back spasms, adding (via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, on Twitter) he’s not concerned long-term about the injury. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports back spasms are the issue here (Twitter link). Carr did not confirm Del Rio’s diagnosis and said postgame (Twitter links, via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com) he’s in “a lot of pain” currently. But the recently extended quarterback is optimistic he can play in Week 5 against the Ravens.
This marks the second straight season Carr missed at least a key portion of a Raiders game in Denver, with the passer, of course, not playing during the team’s previous trip to Colorado because of his season-ending broken leg injury. This time around, EJ Manuel came in to relieve the ailing starter. He fared better than Connor Cook or Matt McGloin did, driving the Raiders into Broncos territory on a potential game-winning drive before throwing an interception that sealed the road defeat.
The Raiders signed Manuel to a one-year, $800K deal. He would be the next man up if Carr cannot play against the Ravens.
Sean Smith Pleads Not Guilty To Assault Charges
- Raiders cornerback Sean Smith pleaded not guilty on charges of assault and battery stemming from an alleged July altercation, as Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes. The details of the incident are rather sordid, but Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio indicated the club would stand behind Smith until the legal process runs its course. On the field, Smith is no longer starting just one year after agreeing to a four-year, $38MM free agent contract. Thus far, he’s played only a quarter of the Raiders’ defensive snaps, fourth among Oakland corners.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- To make room on the roster for Vontaze Burfict‘s activation from a three-game suspension, the Bengals waived linebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr. The son of the former All-Pro linebacker, Nickerson signed with the Bengals in May as a UDFA. He made the team out of training camp and played in each of Cincinnati’s first three games this season.
- The Raiders signed linebacker Boseko Lokombo to their practice squad and released defensive lineman Max Valles from that unit.
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2017 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Browns enjoyed top priority thanks to their 1-15 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week (Twitter links via Field Yates of ESPN.com):
T-1. Bengals
T-1. Browns
T-1. 49ers
4. Giants
5. Chargers
6. Colts
T-7. Texans
T-7. Seahawks
9. Cardinals
10. Jets
11. Saints
12. Bears
13. Dolphins
14. Buccaneers
15. Ravens
T-16. Panthers
T-16. Cowboys
T-16. Rams
T-16. Steelers
T-20. Broncos
T-20. Lions
T-20. Packers
23. Vikings
T-24. Bills
T-24. Jaguars
T-24. Patriots
T-24. Raiders
T-24. Eagles
T-24. Titans
30. Redskins
31. Chiefs
32. Falcons
Raiders Discussing Lease Extension With Oakland Coliseum
The Raiders are signed to play home games at Oakland Coliseum through the 2018 season, but with their Las Vegas venue not set to be ready by 2020 at the earliest, the team is tentatively expected to stay in the Bay Area in 2019 as well.
However, this franchise may go by the “Oakland Raiders” for longer than expected. The Raiders and Bay Area authorities are discussing an extension to the current lease, with Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reporting these talks are about staying in Oakland past the 2019 season.
Issues about stadium construction and with the new arrangement with UNLV, which will share the stadium, have induced the Raiders to consider a fourth season as a lame-duck tenant in Oakland. Unlike the Rams and Chargers in Los Angeles, the Raiders aren’t at the point where a delay their stadium’s unveiling is a certainty, per La Canfora. But talks are commencing with Oakland about a post-2019 partnership. Although, it’s still unclear if the sides have an agreement in place for 2019.
“They’re talking about adding on at least one more year in Oakland,” a source informed La Canfora about a possible 2020 season in northern California.
La Canfora reports the director of the Coliseum Commission is open to such an arrangement. However, we heard earlier this year Oakland was considering concluding the sides’ relationship after the 2018 lease expires.
The NFL insider adds the Raiders might be using a lease extension in their current city as leverage in the UNLV talks — which have become somewhat contentious, prompting the university to hire a pricey lawyer to handle negotiations with the relocating NFL team — but at the same time are coming to grips with the fact they may need a stadium solution for the 2020 season.