Raiders release OT Breno Giacomini, continue to prep Donald Penn
ALAMEDA, Calif. — A move that, for weeks, seemed all but a formality is now official.
Breno Giacomini has been released, the Raiders announced Monday afternoon. He missed most of training camp and entire preseason to a knee injury. Once considered an option to start at right tackle, his days clearly were numbered once Donald Penn accepted a pay cut and switched from left to right tackle this month.
Giacomini received a $1 million signing bonus in March. The remainder of his one-year, $3.015 million contract was not fully guaranteed. The Raiders experience a good amount of cash and cap savings with his departure.
Rookie left tackle Kolton Miller and Penn are set to start the Sept. 10 opener versus the Los Angeles Rams.
Penn is very much still working to be ready for Week 1. He admitted Monday that he’s still acclimating to the position and getting into game shape. He underwent right foot surgery in December for a Lisfranc fracture and did not resume practice until Aug. 14. He appeared in his first exhibition Friday against the Green Bay Packers, allowing a strip-sack following a bull rush.
“I wish I could have done some things a lot better than I did,” Penn said Monday. “I saw some things I need to fix and need to work on. The biggest part of it was I’m trying to get some confidence in this foot and pushing off of it.
“The biggest thing I need for myself to get to where I want to be is just more repetition, more practice. The good thing is time is on my side. … I feel like I’ll definitely be ready.”
Bargain hunting
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will count about three times more against the New York Giants’ salary cap in 2018 than he will the Raiders’.
The cornerback joined Oakland last week on a one-year deal worth $1.015 million, a source familiar with the contract said Monday morning. The contract’s value is the veteran minimum. As such, he’ll count only $630,000 against the Raiders’ cap.
This deal, which included no guaranteed money, pales in comparison to Rodgers-Cromartie’s last negotiation. In 2014, he signed a five-year deal with the Giants worth up to $39 million. Of that, nearly $14 million was guaranteed, including a $10 million signing bonus.
Signing bonuses impact a salary cap in equal increments over a contract’s life. So for releasing Rodgers-Cromartie in March before his final season, the Giants took on $2 million in dead money versus their salary cap. Rodgers-Cromartie reportedly declined a pay cut from New York. He previously was due a $6.48 million salary.
Rodgers-Cromartie was unsigned for five-plus months before accepting a minimum contract.
“I just use it as motivation,” Rodgers-Cromartie said Monday. “When I get an opportunity, they’re going to see.”
Notable
* Rodgers-Cromartie’s signing was announced last Thursday. He appeared on nine defensive snaps Friday. “I was praying (defensive coordinator Paul Guenther) would just call Cover-1,” he said. “Just man-to-man (coverage) where I wouldn’t have to think too much.” Guenther did.
* Coach Jon Gruden said “it’s very possible” Mike Nugent, 36, will enter the season as the Raiders’ kicker. Eddy Pineiro has not practiced for about two weeks to a groin injury.
* The Raiders plan to rest veterans en masse Thursday at the Seattle Seahawks. Needing a couple bodies for the game, they signed cornerback Jarell Carter and defensive tackle Connor Flagel. They can compile game tape as an updated resume to show NFL teams before being released Friday or Saturday. All 90-man rosters must be reduced to 53 players by 1 p.m. Saturday.
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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
