Raiders remain quiet during Sunday’s NFL waiver binge
OAKLAND, Calif. — Sunday was supposed to be the big day. Or at least it seemed.
Aside from the April draft period, the Raiders hadn’t acquired a defensive player this offseason who will be on their Week 1 roster. An opportunity arose Sunday. Several hundred healthy players who’d been waived Saturday across the NFL were eligible to be claimed on waivers at 9 a.m.
Nine o’clock came.
Nine o’clock went.
There were no changes Sunday morning to the Raiders’ 53-man roster. Forty-four players around the league were claimed. None are Oakland-bound. It’s unclear if the team attempted to claim a player but simply didn’t have its waiver request processed because a team with a higher waiver priority undercut it. Either way, the day wasn’t without activity.
For one, the Raiders began to fill out their practice squad.
The 10-man unit will include wide receiver Keon Hatcher, wide receiver Isaiah Whitney, running back Elijah Hood, tight end Pharaoh Brown, guard Jordan Simmons, defensive end Fadol Brown, outside linebacker Shilique Calhoun and cornerback Breon Borders, sources said.
Calhoun, the team’s 2016 third-round pick, is the only non-rookie. Coaches will continue to develop the group, possibly promoting some to the 53-man roster later this year.
With Hood re-signed, each of the team’s nine April draft selections is now with the club. The other eight made the active roster on Saturday. Hood was a seventh-round pick.
The Raiders did not sign every practice squad player they desired.
On Saturday, they waived linebacker LaTroy Lewis with the hope of adding him Sunday to the practice unit. He had other plans. Lewis, who totaled three sacks this preseason and returned a fumble for a touchdown, opted for a fresh start instead, signing with the Houston Texans’ practice squad.
Only one of the 33 players the Raiders waived Saturday was claimed by another team. Guard-center Ian Silberman joined the Indianapolis Colts, who were busy and claimed five total players.
Such activity, at least on defense, is more in line with what many expected of the Raiders. While no roster transactions were made, it seems likely — if not certain — some are in the works.
The team still carries two players, guard Denver Kirkland and safety Keith McGill, who are candidates for injured reserve. It is unclear if the team intends to place either on IR, but it has the option.
Questions still persist at linebacker, a position of pressing need that has yet to be adequately addressed. Adding depth elsewhere, be it at safety or another position, still seems feasible.
Only players with three or fewer accrued NFL seasons of experience went on waivers this weekend. If the Raiders are targeting a more experienced player, their timetable to add the veteran is independent of Sunday’s transaction craze.
Nine o’clock quietly came and went.
Attention on the Raiders’ roster should continue.
Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
