Raiders 2022 roster: Clelin Ferrell could be on his way out
By Preston Seyl
The Raiders franchise made Clelin Ferrell the No. 4 overall pick back in 2019, but it is clear his time with the organization may be coming to an end.
After the Raiders’ announcement on Monday of parting ways with Kenyan Drake, even though they will be paying him 11 million for one season, it goes without saying that the new regime for the team is not messing around. The move showed that the Raiders are not scared to move on from veterans drafted or picked up from the old regime, and they would rather pay the money and move on.
Clelin Ferrell has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since early in camp, missing out on learning the new scheme under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. This has led to him missing getting live reps within it, and with the team not picking up his fifth-year option this offseason, his future in the Silver and Black is very cloudy right now.
Could Raiders DE Clelin Ferrell be cut?
The Raiders will be paying him just under $10 million this season fully guaranteed, and just like Kenyan Drake, the Raiders might have to move on from the former fourth overall pick. His production ever since being drafted is very underwhelming, and his injury early in camp is not helping his cause, as they have plenty of defensive ends they like and think can bring value to the team.
Ferrell returned to practice on Tuesday per Tashan Reed of the Athletic.
Ferrell never seemed to get his career started, as the team made plenty of people shake their heads when they selected him in the top 5 back in 2019. Las Vegas passed on an elite edge rusher in Josh Allen, who has had a great career up until this point, and the expectations of a top-5 pick have been seemingly too much for Ferrell.
A dominant player at Clemson, Ferrell has shown he can stop the run, but the Raiders may decide it is best for him, and the organization to part ways. Who knows, maybe he latches on somewhere else and turns his career around, but it appears there is no room for him to do that in Las Vegas with the new regime in place.
We will see next Tuesday as the roster is cut down to the final 53 going into week one of the new staff has confidence in Clenins potential and have use for his skill set as an edge rusher or OLB.