The Las Vegas Raiders desperately need reinforcements. Although no one player, or even a handful of them, will be able to undo the damage of the first 11 games of the 2025 NFL season, John Spytek has made it a habit to continue tinkering with the roster throughout the campaign.
While most of these signings have been inconsequential, it certainly doesn't hurt to keep filtering players through the building and seeing if the team finds a diamond in the rough. After all, talented contributors in the NFL can oftentimes be found in the strangest of places.
Considering how ineffective the Raiders' pass-rush has been this season, it stood to reason that they could make some sort of roster move to perhaps brighten the future or try to find a spark. But the trade deadline is over, the waiver wire isn't exactly robust, and signing a veteran at this point is futile.
Raiders sign 2021 2nd-round DE Boogie Basham to practice squad
So, on Tuesday, Las Vegas threw a career lifeline to defensive end Boogie Basham, signing him to the practice squad. Basham was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, and he's also had short stints with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.
As a rookie in Buffalo, he only played in eight games, but he recorded 2.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss and 18 total tackles. The next year, he played in 15 contests, contributing another 2.0 sacks and 5 quarterback hits.
However, two years before his rookie deal was up, the Bills traded him to the New York Giants. He fell on some hard times in New York, playing a career-low snap share and failing to record a single sack in 17 appearances. He totaled just 20 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 quarterback hit with the Giants.
RELATED: Pete Carroll said the worst thing possible after Raiders' meltdown vs. Browns
Basham floated back and forth between the practice squad and active roster in New York, and he did the same thing when he signed with the Carolina Panthers before the 2025 season. He played just 41 snaps across four games for Carolina this year before being released in early November.
After several weeks without an NFL home, however, he lands in Las Vegas with perhaps a new lease on life. While he may not be a particularly exciting signing, especially as a defensive end with below-average pass-rush skills, he's been a solid run defender in his short career and can certainly grow.
Perhaps with some time to learn under Maxx Crosby and defensive line coach Rob Leonard, Basham could eventually turn into an end-of-rotation defensive end. But if he never does, it won't really affect the Raiders' bottom line, as this is an incredibly low-risk proposition by John Spytek and Co.
The timing of the signing is a bit peculiar, as Charles Snowden has begun to play really well at outside linebacker/defensive end for Las Vegas, and none of Crosby, Tyree Wilson or Malcolm Koonce is going anywhere. But this could look like a gem if he lives up to his pre-draft billing for the Raiders.