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Why Thayer Munford made the Raiders' initial 53-man roster
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- Why Thayer Munford made the Raiders' initial 53-man roster
The Las Vegas Raiders unveiled their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday . One of the bigger surprises was the inclusion of offensive tackle Thayer Munford . Though Munford struggled mightily throughout the preseason, the Raiders believe in his ability to play offensive tackle in a pinch. There aren't many human beings who can do that in the NFL.
Just take a look around the league. The Tennessee Titans kept 12 offensive linemen, including undrafted tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, because they were afraid to initially put him through waivers. The Los Angeles Rams got a 2028 seventh-round pick from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for KT Leveston , because every team is looking for depth offensive linemen.
It's true Mumford was abysmal for the Raiders throughout the preseason. He posted a pass-blocking grade of 37.6 in three exhibition games, according to Pro Football Focus. Mumford was blamed for allowing one sack and seven total pressures, but that's a small sample size.
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Mumford has played 1,088 snaps since entering the league as a seventh-round selection of the Raiders in 2022. He's survived multiple regime changes in Vegas. John Spytek and Pete Carroll clearly remain intrigued by his developmental potential at the position.
The Raiders possess the sixth priority on the waiver wire heading into Wednesday's claims process. Perhaps they'll identify an available offensive tackle worth claiming and replacing Munford with. Until then, just like every other team in the NFL, the Raiders weren't going to give Munford away for nothing.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Why Thayer Munford made the Raiders' initial 53-man roster
