The Las Vegas Raiders somehow continue to get worse amid a 2-12 season. It looked like they hit rock bottom weeks ago, but they reached even lower depths in a 31-0 Week 15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Raiders likely should’ve been focusing on giving young players more reps weeks ago, but it looks like they might finally be changing course. The team announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed rookie defensive end Jahfari Harvey to the active roster.
He came into the NFL this year as an undrafted free agent out of SMU. He spent the offseason with the Raiders, but was part of the final roster cuts. He’s been on the practice squad all year and might finally get a chance to play now.
Harvey had 7.5 sacks his last season at SMU, so perhaps he could add some pass rush juice. In addition to the Harvey roster move, the Raiders decided to bring back offensive lineman McClendon Curtis to the practice squad.
He originally signed with the Raiders out of college as an undrafted free agent before bouncing around the NFL. He was on the team’s practice squad earlier in the year, but was cut. Perhaps he can also get on the field, considering the Raiders’ struggles across the offensive line this season.
Raiders Hoping to Find Joy to End Season
It hasn’t been a very fun season for the Raiders, their players or their fans. The team hasn’t won a game since Week 6 in October. There have been very few positives to come from this season.
Bad teams like the Tennessee Titans can at least feel some excitement about having a young quarterback. The Raiders have the oldest head coach in NFL history and a 35-year-old quarterback on a big contract.
Despite things looking so bleak for the franchise, Carroll is still hoping to find the joy in football in the last three games.
“To me, every day is a huge opportunity for us to do something to get us closer to what we want, and I’ve got a format for how we approach the week and all to get us on track with that,” Carroll told reporters Monday. “And I don’t think that we can benefit the most out of our work that we do in this unless we’re on the top end of this thing, and we’re looking forward, forward thinking and pushing to make improvements and to get better and to feel that, not necessarily only with yourself, but with the people around you. And so, yeah, that’s what I’m shooting for on a regular basis.”
Charles Grant Seeing Some Snaps
One player who could see more playing time to end the season is rookie tackle Charles Grant. The Raiders have been apprehensive about putting him on the field, despite Stone Forsythe and DJ Glaze having poor seasons.
Grant finally saw some snaps in Week 15, and Carroll liked what he saw.
“I did like his aggressiveness,” Carroll said. “I thought he looked tough, and he finished well too, kept his feet moving and drove a guy off the football a couple times. It looked pretty good. Made a couple mistakes and all, but we would like to see how we could find a way to use him.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Raiders Sign Rookie DE to Active Roster, Bring Back Young OL appeared first on Heavy Sports.