With the Las Vegas Raiders out of the playoff picture, the only thing the coaching staff has to look forward to the rest of the season is player evaluations. The roster needs a lot of work, so if the team can find some hidden gems across the last three games, that would be a positive for the organization.
The Raiders recently signed rookie defensive lineman Jahfari Harvey to the active roster after he spent the season on the practice squad. Unfortunately for him, a player the team liked more became available.
The Raiders announced on Friday that they have claimed veteran defensive tackle Brodric Martin off of waivers after he was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the week. To make room for Martin, the team had to waive Harvey.
Martin was an interesting prospect coming out of Western Kentucky in 2023 and was a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions. He wasn’t able to make enough plays for them, and they cut him before the start of the season.
He spent some time with the Kansas City Chiefs and was most recently with the Steelers. He has only played in six career games, so he hasn’t much of a chance to prove himself. That should change with the Raiders, as they need all the help they can get.
Harvey will have to clear waivers, but if he does, the Raiders will likely bring him back on the practice squad.
CJ Stroud Praises Raiders Defense
While the Raiders don’t do much of anything well, there’s no denying the offense has been a much bigger weakness than the defense. Las Vegas plays the Houston Texans in Week 16, and they don’t have a high-powered offense. If the Raiders want to keep it close, it’s going to be on the defense.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud had some praise for the Raiders’ defense before the matchup.
“They have a lot of good defensive linemen,” Stroud said, via Raiders.com. “Devin White has been playing high-level for a long time. Elandon [Roberts] is a great [linebacker] as well. On the back end, they’re figuring some things out. But I think they’re up in your face and do really good in their spot drop zones and their blitzes. They can pressure you at any time.
“I think Pete Carroll has been a great coach and a great scheme for a long time. If you look, they’ve had some close games for some teams that are going to the playoffs and some teams that we played against that are good. So, this is not a team to slack off on one bit, just like last weekend. We’ve got to be able to establish the line of scrimmage early on and then the pass game and whenever that comes, but it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a challenge and we’ve got to be ready for it.”
Patrick Graham Up Against Familiar Face
Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham have some familiarity with each other. The two were with the New England Patriots in 2015.
Caley thinks very highly of Graham’s ability.
“I was with Pat [Patrick] Graham in New England, I’ve coached against him a bunch,” Caley said. “There’s obviously Pete Carroll there now, had a ton of success. You can see a little blend of the schemes in the background. Very good coaches. Pat does a really good job.
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