Oakland Raiders Release Pass Rusher, Cornerback, Claim Two Others

The Oakland Raiders took care of some housekeeping Friday, releasing two players and claiming two others off waivers.

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The Oakland Raiders have long been a franchise known for giving players a second chance. Sometimes, even a third. In fact, some of Oakland’s greatest success stories have been reclamation projects. But for every success story, there are a dozen others whose stories didn’t have an ending that was nearly as happy or successful. And now you can count defensive end Damontre Moore among that latter category.

GM Reggie McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio had an absolute mission this offseason – to improve the pass rush. They knew they needed to get some help for Khalil Mack, who was having everything but the kitchen sink thrown at him to try and stop him last season. So, they went out and got Bruce Irvin and then drafted Jihad Ward and Shilique Calhoun to help bolster their quarterback killing unit.

But they weren’t done tweaking. They’ve brought in a couple of UDFA’s like Greg Townsend Jr. and Branden Jackson to compete for spots. They also brought in third year veteran Damontre Moore to battle for a job. Like opposing offense coordinators trying to stop Mack, Del Rio and McKenzie are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at their pass rushing problem, trying to make something stick.

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But one person who won’t be sticking is Damontre Moore. After less than a week in camp, the Raiders released Moore on a Friday that was busy for the team roster-wise.

Moore came in with no real expectations put upon him. The Raiders were his third team in less than a calendar year. He was released by the Giants last season after a locker room altercation with former teammate Cullen Jenkins over a pair of headphones. Moore was subsequently claimed by the Dolphins, playing the last three games with the team – and not making much of an impact.

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The Dolphins released Moore in May of this year and the Raiders picked him up a week later.

After a productive three year career at Texas A&M where he accumulated 26.5 sacks and 45 tackles for a loss. The Giants made him a third round pick in the 2013 Draft, and he shown some talent and ability to get after the passer – he posted 5.5 sacks in 2014.

But Moore has never been able to match the level of production he had at the college level. Which of course, made him expendable to New York. Had Moore been a pass rushing beast, they could have perhaps overlooked his erratic and immature locker room behavior. But you can’t have both a lack of productivity and a lack of maturity.

The Raiders had hoped when the brought Moore in, that he had put the past immaturity behind him and that he could – and would – focus on being the type of player he was in college. But after less than a week in camp, they decided that he either does not have the potential to be productive or the temperament for the locker room that they’re striving to instill.

And so, Moore is now a former Raider and is searching for a place to call home for the 2016 season.

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The Raiders also made several other roster moves on Friday. In addition to Moore, the Raiders released cornerback SaQwan Edwards, who joined the team last season, but never made enough of an impression to get onto the field.

To fill the open roster spots, the Raiders brought in cornerback Tramain Jacobs, who was waived by the Giants. Jacobs came into the league with the Ravens in 2014, appearing in just three games for the team before being waived and subsequently picked up by the Giants this offseason.

The Raiders also claimed linebacker Lenny Jones off waivers. Jones, a former San Francisco 49ers UDFA, played for the University of Nevada where he accumulated 151 tackles – 31.5 for a loss – and 20 sacks over his four year college career.