New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is known for his ability to get the most out of a player. He’s had a lot of success resurrecting the careers of players who were left for dead by the NFL, and he’s doing it again in Las Vegas.
Two great examples of this are tight end Michael Mayer and safety turned linebacker Jamal Adams, both of whom are off to fantastic starts to the year. But there is one player who Carroll decided that he couldn’t fix, and that was Thayer Munford Jr, a seventh-round pick from Ohio State.
Munford started 18 games with the Raiders at right tackle and was also a key reserve for the better part of three seasons. But the Raiders released him during roster cutdowns in a somewhat surprising move.
Munford will get a chance to prove his worth in Cleveland
After being released by the Raiders, Munford signed with the New England Patriots and joined their practice squad. That wasn’t a complete surprise, given that Josh McDaniels, the person who drafted him in Las Vegas, is now the offensive coordinator for the Patriots.
But his time in Foxboro didn’t last very long. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that the Cleveland Browns have signed Munford to their active roster following the placement of tackle Dawand Jones on the IR.
Did the Raiders make a mistake by moving on from Munford too soon, given how poorly D.J. Glaze has played so far? That seems like a stretch considering Munford wasn’t a high-level starter, either. And with just one year left on his rookie contract, it was clear that he wasn’t going to be a long-term answer, and he wasn’t the best fit in Chip Kelly’s scheme.
It’s not surprising to see Munford get more chances, as he does have a lot of NFL experience, and the league is always desperate for offensive line help. As we progress further into the year, the lack of depth across the league will only worsen.
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The Raiders are hopeful that Glaze can take some big steps forward over the next few months and solidify the right tackle spot. Otherwise, that’s just another position that will need to be addressed next offseason.
It’s hard to believe, but the loss of Jermaine Eluemunor in free agency a few years ago is still haunting the Las Vegas Raiders. They haven’t been able to replace him, and there was hope going into the 2024 season that Munford would be his successor.
That didn’t play out, and now Munford is on his third team in the last month. However, that just highlights the league's desperation for quality offensive line help.