Raiders attempted to sign veteran LB Mychal Kendricks

The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly attempted to sign veteran linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

The Las Vegas Raiders completely revamped their linebacker depth chart in the offseason bringing in the likes of Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski to provide a much-needed boost to the position.

They also selected former Clemson safety Tanner Muse in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft with an expectation that he would move to linebacker at the professional level.

With three notable additions at the position, one might think that the offseason overhaul would essentially be complete. But that might not be the case.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Friday that the Raiders made an attempt to sign veteran linebacker Mychal Kendricks, but the two sides failed to come to terms on a deal.

Mychal Kendrick would have provided extra depth to the Raiders’ linebacker corps.

Kendricks spent the first six years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles where he established himself as one of the better off-ball linebackers in the league.

However, the last few years haven’t been kind to the former second-round pick.

After signing a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns in 2018, Kendricks was charged with insider trading — a crime he later admitted to. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison and it’s likely he faces some sort of punishment.

But during the entire process, Kendricks has still managed to find a home in the NFL. He’s spent the last two years with the Seattle Seahawks where he started 14 games in 2019.

Unfortunately, his hardships continued (this one not self-inflicted) as he tore his ACL in Week 17 of last year. However, Fowler did indicate that Kendricks is healthy and ready to play.

Of course, with an expected sentence date of October 14th — a date that’s been pushed back numerous times — teams will be paying very close attention to what happens with his legal status.

Evidently, the Raiders were still interested in adding him — even if it might only be for a short period of time — but they weren’t able to make it work.

Aside from their offseason additions, the Raiders will also return guys like Nicholas Morrow, Kyle Wilber, and Justin Phillips who could compete for playing time at weakside linebacker.

There’s also undrafted rookie Javin White who has made a strong first impression in training camp thus far. The Raiders have options so it’s not as if they needed Kendricks.

Nonetheless, the team is clearly looking to add some veteran linebacker depth and that’s something to keep an eye on over the coming days and weeks.