Raiders Long Shot Could Make Roster As A New Pass Rusher
· Yahoo Sports
The Las Vegas Raiders have been making changes with their pass rushing group, and they’re not of the expected variety. Start with defensive end Maxx Crosby, who wasn’t expected to be on the roster, much less locked in for a starter’s spot as long as his recovery from knee surgery continues and the Raiders decide not to try and trade him again.
Visit librea.one for more information.
Then there’s Cian Slone. He’s an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State, and Ely Allen of ProFootballRumors.com recently did a report referencing Sam Warren of The Athletic, who thinks Slone could earn a roster spot.
It would be an unlikely story. As Allen noted, Slone has already beaten the odds simply by making it to the NFL at all. Slone took the long way as a junior college player out of American River College (CA), and after that he he committed to to Utah State, where he made what Allen called a big impact on the Aggies defense.
Slone started 14 of 25 game appearances in two years, and he put up good numbers, with 9.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and six passes defensed. Slone then transferred to NC State, where he started all 13 games for the Wolfpack and finished with 1.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, two passes defended and an interception.
His uphill battle is just getting started, however. The Raiders will keep five pass rushers, according to Warren’s prediction, with Crosby and Malcolm Koonce as roster locks. So is Kwity Paye, who will be getting $16 million a year after signing a big deal in free agency. Keyron Crawford is a third-round pick, so he’s safe, which leaves two other players who will be competing with Slone.
One is Brennan Jackson, according to Allen, who was picked in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Rams back in 2024. The other is Jahfari Harvey, an undrafted rookie out of SMU who was put on waivers after he failed to make the final roster cut with the Rams. Harvey appeared in only three games, with all of his appearances coing on special teams, and he was also on the practice squad for multiple games.
That’s not exaclty unbeatable competition, so Slone has a shot. He’s impressed the coaching staff so far, so much so that he’s been given opportunities to work with veteran groups during the team periods of OTAs, according to Allen. He’s still a long shot, but his odds of making the team are improving, which makes him an interesting name to watch in training camp.