Recently Released Players the Oakland Raiders Should Consider

The deadline for all NFL teams to trim their rosters down to 75 players has officially passed, as of August 30th at 4:00pm EST.

The Oakland Raiders got down to 75 players by releasing 14 and placing one on injured reserve. The most notable name released was Leon Orr, and outside of him, there weren’t any surprises.

Orr is no world-beater, but he’s young and he flashed quality play last season. So that begs the question — if a player such as Orr was released at the 75-man cut deadline, what other quality players were released by other teams? And are there any players out there that the Raiders should consider signing?

First, let’s focus on what positions the Raiders might be looking for help, via Vic Tafur.

LB is the position in most need of help, particularly the inside spot. Ben Heeney, Neiron Ball and Cory James will be the three, but if a player can come in and compete, they should be considered.

Kick/Punt returner is another, and although the team has some intriguing players filling in as of right now, if there is a good enough return man out there, the team will surely consider adding him.

Tafur also mentions WR as an option, but they seem to really like Holton. But it depends on who is available.

For the last position, we actually won’t focus on any single position. Instead, we’ll approach this with a “best player available” mindset, similar to the draft. There is always room for talented players.

Lastly, it’s possible for a rookie from another team to be let go that the Raiders targeted in the draft or as a UDFA. So Oakland could look for players to stash on the practice squad.

So now that we know which positions to look for, let’s review a full list of players released at the deadline, via SB Nation.

The talent doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but there are a handful of players worth looking into.

DE Stephen Paea

Paea was a second-round pick in 2011, and has played most of his career with the Chicago Bears. After one year in Washington, Paea was let go. But he just turned 28 and has been a quality player his entire career — there is no reason why that shouldn’t continue, especially with a team that offers a scheme fit.

Washington uses a 3-4, which is not ideal for Paea’s style. The Raiders do use some 3-4 looks, but the defense uses a variety of fronts. And a player of Paea’s caliber could held help the front seven, who have struggled in the preseason.

CB Kevin White

If Reggie McKenzie is looking to find another diamond in the rough at cornerback, a la David Amerson, then White could be that guy.

He was a UDFA in 2015, but that was a surprise to most. White was a standout at TCU, who is yet to catch on in the NFL.

As for why the Raiders should consider him, or any CB for that matter, is because when D.J. Hayden is listed at the #3 corner, then it’s clear the position needs help. There are currently no CB’s pushing for a roster spot other than the mainstays, so at the very least, some extra competition wouldn’t hurt.

WR Marquez North

Johnny Holton seems destined for the fifth wide receiver spot, leaving Jaydon Mickens and K.J. Brent to fight for a spot on the practice squad. Adding North to that competition is worth considering.

Talented but troubled, North could be a reclamation project, if his potential can be untapped. He’s a big bodied wideout, something the team definitely needs. Considering their past luck with UDFA WR’s (Streater, Roberts, etc.) why not try for one more?

ILB Perry Riley Jr.

The second veteran player on the list, Riley Jr., like Paea, was also released by Washington. Riley had spent his entire career with the organization, as a fourth-round pick out of LSU in 2011.

Riley averaged 112 tackles per season over a three-year span, before missing seven games last season due to injury. He’s been a quality linebacker for several years now, so it’s hard to say his career is already on a downswing, since he just turned 28.

The inside linebacker group might be the weakest positional unit on the Raiders, so any player that can help out here should be considered.

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Now I’m not saying definitively that any of these players should be signed. That would mean losing a current player in order to make room, and the team certainly likes what they have.

But there are about ten or so players with no shot of making the roster, so cutting one of those players to sign one of these would cause no harm.

For what it’s worth, there were a good number of former Raiders let go at the 75-man deadline. If the team is looking for familiarity, these are names to consider. Although they were let go in Oakland for a reason, and again let go by their current (now former) teams for a reason, so that seems unlikely.

CB Jonathan Dowling, DT Shelby Harris, DE Matt Shaughnessy, S Brandian Ross, DE Josh Shirley, DT Ricky Lumpkin, WR James Jones.

We’ll revisit this list after the 53-man deadline, to see if any players released then could help the team.