The Las Vegas Raiders brought in head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek this offseason with the understanding that things were going to be dramatically different. The new regime has already proven that it will not be bound to the mistakes of the previous regimes in Las Vegas.
Raider Nation should have known from the jump that Carroll was going to advocate for massive roster turnover, and the fan base is already seeing that play out. In his first year with the Seattle Seahawks, Carroll only kept 10 players from the previous year's five-win team.
A similar fate has reached the Silver and Black this offseason, as Carroll and Spytek continue to tinker with the roster. After Saturday's mock game, the team made another handful of moves, which included the release of a Chip Kelly favorite and the signing of a former Broncos draft pick.
Raiders release WR Kyle Philips, sign TE Albert Okwuegbunam
On Sunday, the Raiders announced the signing of tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and wide receiver Kawaan Baker. In a corresponding move, they released veteran wide receiver Kyle Philips and undrafted free agent tight end Pat Conroy.
Philips played under Kelly for four seasons when he was the head coach at UCLA. All told, he caught 163 passes for 1,821 yards and 17 touchdowns as a Bruin, including a Pac-12-leading 10 touchdown receptions as a senior. He was a fifth-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
However, Philips failed to stand out in what became a crowded wide receiver room for the Raiders this offseason. Given the established veteran Jakobi Meyers and tight end Brock Bowers eating up reps in the slot, it became hard for Philips to establish himself.
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Okwuegbunam was a fourth-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound pass-catcher has played in just 30 NFL games and has 54 catches for 546 yards and four touchdowns.
His best year came in 2021, when he played in 14 games and caught 33 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Despite his large frame, Okwuegbunam recorded the No. 1 athleticism score among tight ends at the 2020 combine, running a 4.49-second 40-yard dash.
He will have a hard time making up ground in the tight end room with Bowers as the star and both Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas making up ground. However, he has more experience and upside than Conroy did, so the team made the move.