On Tuesday, the Oakland Raiders continued trimming their roster, including using the injured reserve and physically unable to perform list.
Cornerback Joselio Hanson and rookie running back Latavius Murray were placed on IR while linebacker Miles Burris was placed on the PUP list, meaning that he will be unable to rejoin the active roster until after the week seven bye. Cornerback Mitchell White was waived.
There were 10 other cuts made Sunday, with Josh Cribbs being the most high profile player to be let go. Cribbs mishandled two kicks during the Week Three preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
Linebacker Keenan Clayton, linebacker Eric Harper, fullback Jon Hoese, wide receiver Sam McGuffie, guard Andrew Robiski, wide receiver Tray Session, defensive tackle Myles Wade and wide receiver Isiah Williams were waived Tuesday. Clayton missed nearly all of training camp with an injury.
The Raiders finalized their roster cuts just a few hours before the 1 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
The team also signed place kicker Justin Medlock earlier today following a mild injury to Sebastian Janikowski. Punter Chris Kluwe was also spotted Tuesday donning a baseball cap while casually kicking field goals.
Injuries are always a running theme during preseason, with a few Raiders at risk of missing this season. Oakland lost left tackle Jared Veldheer two weeks ago and rookie Menelik Watson will be taking his place against the Seattle Seahawks in their final preseason game.
Allen said Watson will get some much-needed work:
“He’s a rookie over there playing on the left side for the first time… There’s a lot of work to be done with him… We obviously drafted (Watson) high because he’s a good player. We think he’s got a lot of potential.”
Veteran left tackle Alex Barron had been starting in Veldheer’s stead but had been manhandled constantly by defenders.
Terrelle Pryor will get his first start of the preseason due to what the team is calling “arm soreness” to quarterback Matt Flynn.
While there is no evidence to the contrary, many have questioned whether the team is considering Pryor as the starter during the regular season, following three lackluster performances from Flynn. Allen said:
“(Pryor) has put a lot of work in during the offseason and he wants to be really good. He’s got some talent and he’s done some nice things in the preseason. He’s still got a lot of work to do and I think he understands that, but he brings that athleticism that allows him to get out of trouble at times.”
The Raiders organization has long been infatuated with running quarterbacks, with Jamarcus Russell in 2007 and Pryor in 2011 as recent examples. Given the current trend in the NFL, Pryor has a shot at becoming the next hybrid signal caller.
Some defensive coaches, coordinators and players around the NFL call the read option just “the flavor of the month.” Teams say they “have a plan to stop it,” but in the upper echelon of college football, the scheme has never been slowed down.
Even the best defenses, such as LSU and Alabama, have been mostly stupefied by the athletic running quarterbacks.
The Raiders will have Wednesday off as they travel to Seattle’s Century Link Field — the loudest in the NFL — to take on the Seahawks.
It will be a daunting task for Pryor, but he can win the gig with a stellar performance against one of the league’s premiere defenses.
Follow @SFBay and @JLeskiwNFL on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of the Oakland Raiders.
Last modified August 29, 2013 9:01 am
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