Oakland Raiders: Biggest Roster Surprises On Cutdown Day
By Kevin Saito
The only defensive free agent addition – along with a dearth of talent in the linebacking corps – it seemed like Jenkins was a shoo-in for a roster spot.
Ummmm… yeah… about that…
Jenkins posted on his Instagram account early on that he was moving on and only later, did we find out that the team had put him on season ending IR.
Only signed to a one-year, low-cost deal this offseason, it was expected that Jenkins would be fighting for playing time. However, given the lack of reliable options in Oakland’s linebackers group, it was pretty widely thought that we’d be seeing Jenkins line up on the weak side this season.
But throughout the summer, he was consistently playing behind second-year man Cory James. And then he suffered an injury against Dallas and that was it for the fifth-year pro.
It’s one of the more surprising moves, given Oakland’s desperate need for able bodies capable of defending the pass among their linebackers group. Jenkins wasn’t eye-popping, but his body of work over the summer wasn’t something to be ashamed of, either. He made some plays and showed that he could be more asset than liability for this defense.
The move leaves the Raiders with more questions than answers in their linebackers group at this point. It’s possible – if not likely – that HC Jack Del Rio and GM Reggie McKenzie are scouring the cut list, searching for somebody to plug into the middle of that defense – somebody who can defend the pass as well as be a run-stopper.
They need to do something – and soon – because the regular season is starting and given Jenkins’ cut, the second level of that defense still needs a lot of help.