Oakland Raiders: Most Surprising Moves On Cut Down Day

Nov 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders lineabcker Sio Moore (55) celebrates with fans after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Sio Moore Dealt To Indy

It was a move that shocked many. In fact, many still can’t believe it happened. But it did. One of Oakland’s most passionate and emotional defensive leaders, Moore, was sent off to Indianapolis for what amounts to a ham sandwich and a diet coke – in other words, a sixth round pick.

It was an amazing and stunning fall from grace for Moore, as just a year ago, he was being hailed as one of Oakland’s leaders, and one of the building blocks the team would be building upon as they returned to relevance and greatness.

Moore’s relentless and passionate style of play endeared him to Oakland’s hard core fans. Which makes it tough to see him go. But a major hip injury knocked him out of the season late last year and it was an injury that required surgery. Unfortunately for Moore, his recovery from that surgery has been agonizingly slow and he’s missed all of the offseason work and a good portion of camp.

The fact that he’s been absent for so long put him squarely in Del Rio’s doghouse and he was never able to get out of it. When he was cleared to return, Moore was limited to special teams play, and only got in with the defense late in the final exhibition game against Seattle – and played just nine snaps in total.

Del Rio made his displeasure with Moore pretty well known. It wasn’t a secret. But the fact that he traded Moore to Indianapolis caught a lot of people off guard. The fact that Ray-Ray Armstrong and Malcolm Smith have stepped up and played big in Moore’s absence made him expendable and sealed his fate.

Of all of the moves so far this offseason, this one was the most surprising and cut the deepest for Raiders fans. Though, in hindsight, perhaps we all should have seen it coming.

Next: The Bergstrom Effect