Sunday the Raiders saw starting cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly go down with a non-contact injury. He was carted off the field and it was soon revealed Kelly had ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee. Pete Carroll immediately described the injury as "significant".
Today the team officially place Kelly on injured reserve. And with just four games left in the season, that means Kelly's season is over.
With this move, the Raiders added free agent cornerback Chigozie Anusiem to the roster.
The 6-1, 200-pounder entered the league in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State. He was originally signed by the Washington Commanders and placed on their practice squad. Then in November of last season, the Browns signed him off the Commanders' practice squad and he appeared in one game last season with eight snaps on defense and five on special teams.
Kelly was a former fifth round pick out of Stanford who bounced around for a couple years before finding a home with the Raiders last season. He then earned a starting job in training camp while rookie third round pick Darien Porter was acclimating to the NFL. Kelly would start eight games this season with three interceptions and six pass breakups.
Porter will take over the rest of the way at left cornerback, giving the Raiders a longer look at him as they hope he can be a starter for them moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders sign free agent CB, place Kyu Blu Kelly on IR ending his season
