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Raiders Sign 2 Super Bowl Champs, Cut Ties With Former First-Round Pick
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- Raiders Sign 2 Super Bowl Champs, Cut Ties With Former First-Round Pick
Darian Kinnard hugging Josh Jacobs. Getty
The Las Vegas Raiders had a promising start to the season, but things are officially off the rails. The team has now lost three in a row, which brings their record to 3-3.
If they don't turn things around soon, the Raiders won't even sniff the playoff race. A big reason for the struggles has been poor offensive line play. While they've protected for the pass well enough, the run blocking hasn't been there.
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The Raiders have decided to bring in a couple of new offensive linemen. Las Vegas announced that they have signed offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kennard to the practice squad.
Kight has not been with a team this season, but worked with Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak on the Seattle Seahawks last year. He was an undrafted free agent signing last year and was part of the team that won the Super Bowl. He only played limited snaps in four games last season, but Kubiak clearly liked him enough to give him a chance in Las Vegas.
Kinnard has three Super Bowl rings from his tenures with the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. He played 17 games with the Green Bay Packers last season, so he has some experience. He could be somebody who eventually gets added to the active roster.
Chris Myarick & Evan Neal Cut
To make room for Kinnard and Kight on the practice squad, the Raiders had to release two players. The unlucky players were tight end Chris Myarick and offensive lineman Evan Neal.
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Neal is a notable player, as he was a former top-10 draft pick of the New York Giants . He hasn't come close to living up to his draft status, but the hope was that the switch to guard would make him a more effective player.
Despite the Raiders having injuries at guard to start the season, Neal didn't get a chance to play. He should have an easy time finding another team thanks to his draft status.
Myarick was going to be on the roster bubble. The Raiders have a deep tight end room, and Carter Runyon is nearing his return from injury. The one position the Raiders don't need more depth at right now is tight end.
Raiders Still Trying to Solve Run Game
The Raiders had another lackluster game on the ground against the Bills . They just can't move the ball without passing.
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Offensive line play is partly to blame, but it's difficult to see the Kight or Kinnard additions changing anything in the near future. Kubiak likes what he's seeing from the running backs, but still wants to see them improve as the season goes on.
"We have to get production from all three of our backs. … I thought overall our backs ran harder yesterday," Kubiak told reporters Monday. "They broke tackles [and] moved the line of scrimmage when things weren't there. I thought [RB] Coach Omar [Young] did a really good job challenging our guys. I thought they had one of their better games, and I expect that to continue to improve."
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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