The Oakland Raiders started their offseason workout program on Monday, as well as doing some moves to improve the roster for 2019.
As the team descended on Alameda to kick off Phase 1 of their offseason workout program, the brass for the Oakland Raiders were putting more touches on the roster for the 2019 NFL season. On Monday, the Raiders signed three players to their roster, bringing back Justin Murray, Daniel Carlson, and Marcell Ateman, three very solid players for the team last season.
In Carlson, the Raiders found a gem at kicker, as they grabbed him when the Minnesota Vikings released him early on in the year. For the Raiders, Carlson was about as automatic as you can get, making 16-of-17 field goal attempts, while nailing every one of his extra point tries for the Raiders.
The Raiders struggled to put something together at kicker before his arrival, using multiple legs to get the job done, but may have found their long-term solution in Carlson.
The team’s official Twitter account dropped the news on Monday.
We have re-signed Marcell Ateman, Daniel Carlson and Justin Murray.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 15, 2019
More » https://t.co/KVOdBTj6e0 #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/9mnKQIompn
Murray appeared in two games for the Raiders last season, and will be brought back to give the offensive line some depth. He is going to have to battle in order to gain a roster spot coming out of camp, but he is definitely someone who could grow with the organization, even if it means being on the practice squad for some of the 2019 season.
In Ateman, the Raiders found a real contributor in the seventh round last season, as he proved that he could use his big size to make plays in the red zone. Oakland has brought in a ton of talent at the wide receiver position, but there is no reason why Ateman can’t carve himself out a role in this offense in 2019.
All three of these player could play a big role with the Raiders this upcoming season, especially Carlson, who was a God-send at kicker last season. This is a Raiders roster that is so much better than the one that took the field in September of the 2018 campaign, and it will be interesting to see how that reflects in their record from year to year.