Micah Kiser was carted off the field on Sunday. The next day, on Monday, the Raiders brought in a linebacker to replace Kiser.
Everything was picture-perfect Sunday morning for the Las Vegas Raiders. The sun was shining, Alex Leatherwood was excelling, and Nate Hobbs was showing why he can lead the Raiders’ secondary for years to come. That great Sunday football feeling was back, even if it was only a practice.
Then, things started to go downhill.
A rainstorm blew in and stopped practice in its tracks, forcing players and staff members to retreat inside – Except Nate Hobbs, who stood in the pouring rain signing autographs and conversing with the Raider faithful.
Even worse than the suddenly horrible weather, inside linebacker Micah Kiser was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury. Kiser signed a one-year deal with the Raiders this offseason, bringing much needed 3-4 experience into a linebacker group who had zero combined experience in this front at the time.
With a hole now in the linebacker unit, the Silver and Black signed Curtis Bolton. Bolton, 26, has spent time with six different clubs since entering the NFL in 2019. The new Raiders’ linebacker is fresh off a stint with the Lions, being part of a 3-4 scheme.
Raiders’ new LB Bolton will fight for a roster spot
Despite spending time on six different squads, 2021 was the only year Bolton appeared in a regular season contest. With the Detroit Lions, the linebacker logged 58 snaps, albeit all were on special teams.
After the 2019 NFL Draft, Bolton signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent. The linebacker put himself in a great position to make the roster after two impressive preseason outings, but a torn ACL would place Bolton on the Injured Reserves list, ending his season before it started.
It’s hard to imagine Bolton will beat out linebackers such as Kenny Young and undrafted free agent camp sensation Darien Butler, but there’s a lot of time left, with ample opportunity to present his case.
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For now, welcome to Raider Nation, Curtis Bolton.