Oakland Raiders: Breaking down the signing of DL Corey Liuget

The Oakland Raiders have officially signed veteran defensive lineman Corey Liuget. Here is a breakdown of the late August free-agent addition.

The Oakland Raiders are just two weeks away from the start of the 2019 season but they’re still making free-agent signings to improve the roster ahead of Week 1.

In a slew of roster moves made on Sunday, the Raiders announced the signing of veteran defensive lineman Corey Liuget to add to their revamped defense. And Liuget isn’t your typical late-August, free-agent flier.

Instead, Liuget is an eight-year NFL veteran who has spent close to a decade starting on the defensive line of the Raiders’ AFC West foes, the Los Angeles Chargers.

Liuget was originally drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chargers out of Illinois. And in his eight years in Southern California, Liuget has earned a solid reputation of being a reliable starting defensive lineman.

The 29-year-old has started 103 of his 108 career games and up until recently was a key piece on the Chargers defense. However, a troubling 2018 season led Los Angeles to part ways with him this offseason.

Liuget started the year on the suspended list serving a four-game absence for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. And after working his way back from suspension, Liuget would play in only six games before tearing his quad and being placed on the injured reserve.

However, it does appear that 2019 was an anomaly in terms of missed time. Liuget had missed just 10 out of a possible 112 games over his career prior to last season as the 300-pound lineman has been pretty healthy throughout his career.

More from Las Vegas Raiders News

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• Raiders: Bryan Edwards out, Henry Ruggs doubtful for Sunday
• Raiders: Damon Arnette re-injures thumb, could be headed to IR
• Raiders fall short in letdown Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots
• Raiders: Game breakdown and prediction for Week 3 at New England Patriots

Despite drawing offers from various teams this offseason, Liuget waited until now to sign on with the Raiders as he obviously felt that this was the best fit for him.

And for Oakland, this signing is clearly a luxury more than anything else.

The Raiders were already particularly deep along the interior defensive line with players such as Johnathan Hankins and Maurice Hurst already locks for big roles this season.

Aside from them, veteran Justin Ellis looked primed to receive a fair share of snaps but this recent roster move could limit his playing time. In fact, the Liuget signing could even spell the end of his five-year tenure in the Bay Area.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

Last year’s second-round pick P.J. Hall showed flashes of excellent play last season but must get more consistent if he is to continue to receive playing time with Liuget in the fold.

There’s also former UAB standout Anthony Rush who has made a very compelling case for a roster spot with a strong summer. Unfortunately, someone like Eddie Vanderdoes looks likely to be cut after missing all of last season nursing a torn ACL suffered the prior season.

Liuget could very well step in and start from Week 1 providing the Raiders with another disruptive presence in the interior of the line. If not, expect him to be a key part of the team’s defensive line rotation with Hankins, Hurst, and Hall all in the mix as well.

Perhaps Rush could even earn some playing time if he could sneak on to the roster.

Liuget isn’t your typical scrap-heap signing towards the end of the preseason. And Raiders fans should soon find that out once he takes the field for the first time with the team.