The Raiders signed Dave Rayner to handle kicking duties tomorrow. Oakland confirmed the news via the team’s Twitter account.

The Raiders have signed K Dave Rayner and waived DB Ron Parker

Parker was recently signed to the practice squad to replace Sterling Moore who moved on to New England. Perhaps Parker, or the recently waived Jerome Boyd, will return in the future as Rayner’s roster spot is temporary so long as Jano is unable to go.

When Janikowski will return is unknown. As stated previously a healthy Janikowski could prove vital against the rival Chiefs tomorrow should the contest be a close one. While the timing isn’t great his injury issues come at the most opportune time for recovery. After Sunday the Raiders will enter their bye week where the NFL’s best kicker will have time to rest and recovery.

Today the Raiders released Miller and promoted newly signed safety Ron Parker from the practice squad.

Miller’s job was on the line the second Derek Hagan was signed. Hagan was supposed to be a camp body but instead went out and earned both a roster spot and a role as a receiver. That left Miller with return duties as his only chance to contribute despite a rash of injuries in the receiving corps.

Miller couldn’t cut it on returns and now that Jacoby Ford is back there really isn’t much the Raiders can do with Miller. That’s the business of pro football.

Raider Nation always wanted to see Miller do his thing. He looked like a poor man’s Wes Welker but with more of an ability to stretch the field.

As for Parker, his rise was almost over night. The Raiders waived Sterling Moore to make room for Parker. Then just like that, thanks to injuries, the athletically gifted DB from small Newbury College gets a chance. Hopefully Parker makes the most of whatever opportunity comes his way. As Miller learned, sometimes you only get one shot. Those scholarships are getting harder to come by in the East Bay these days.

But this isn’t about me and my issues. This is about Sterling Moore who is no longer a member of the Silver and Black.

Today the Raiders released Moore and added safety Ron Parker to the practice squad in his place.

Now I’ll be the first to say preseason performances mean little in the grand scheme. Still, you couldn’t help but be impressed by Moore. The NorCal native played high school ball with current Raider rookie Taiwan Jones before heading off to SMU. Eventually Moore made his way onto Oakland’s roster for camp. Despite failing to make the final cut he was brought back to the p-squad.

While he’s still very raw, Moore showed flashes of brilliance specifically when it came to breaking on the ball. From a coverage standpoint he’s got a ways to go before being up to Raider standards. But he’s got real Raider speed and showed symptoms of being a ball hawk.

But this does not mean the book is closed on Moore. It’s just shut for now…hopefully. Stevie Brown went through this same process as a rookie, several times, last season and he found himself playing quite a bit in the regular season. So there is hope for Moore.
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