The Las Vegas Raiders appear to be embracing the tank for the remainder of the 20225 NFL season, as they are just two losses away from securing the top overall pick and an opportunity to potentially land a franchise quarterback.
On Wednesday, practically out of nowhere, the team announced that they were shutting down star tight end Brock Bowers and starting safety Jeremy Chinn for the rest of the season, placing them on Injured Reserve.
While Pete Carroll and Maxx Crosby have both claimed that the franchise is focused on winning and not their draft position, the moves seem to scream the opposite. The Raiders, with two open roster spots, announced several corresponding moves.
Raiders announce corresponding moves following Brock Bowers and Jeremy Chinn being shut down
Just hours after initial reports piled in about Bowers and Chinn, Las Vegas officially revealed its corresponding moves, which include wide receiver Shedrick Jackson and safety Terrell Edmunds being added to the active roster.
"We have placed TE Brock Bowers and S Jeremy Chinn on the Reserve/Injured List," the Raiders wrote. "In a corresponding move, we have signed S Terrell Edmunds and WR Shedrick Jackson to the active roster. Additionally, we have signed LS Luke Elkin and T Joshua Miles to the practice squad."
While Bowers and Chinn have both been dealing with nagging injuries, it was somewhat of a surprise to see them shut down just days after playing 98% of the offensive snaps and 100% of the defensive snaps, respectively.
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The moves signify that the Raiders could be focused on draft position rather than picking up a meaningless win or down the stretch. Jackson, the great-nephew of Raiders legend Bo Jackson, had a standout preseason, and he flashed in his Week 14 appearance against the Denver Broncos.
Meanwhile, Edmunds has spent the entire year on the practice squad. His lone appearance came in the season opener, where he played just one defensive snap. The first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has plenty of experience, however, as he has appeared in 102 NFL games, making 79 starts.
Joshua Miles, who was added to Las Vegas' practice squad, has appeared in 18 games since being selected in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, playing 23 offensive snaps and 69 special teams snaps.
The Raiders mark the sixth organization he has joined after being released from the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in October. Luke Elkin joins Miles on the practice squad. An undrafted free agent last April, he was released by the Chicago Bears in August and has yet to make his NFL debut.