Here is a fun read for you all to get you through another Super Bowl Sunday without the Raiders. These players wore the Silver and Black at one point in their career. Here’s how they did this past season and a sprinkle of Raiders’ memories.
Latavius Murray, Saints
The Tay Train rushed for over 600 yards and five touchdowns as a primary backup for the Saints. He added over 200 receiving yards and a touchdown after joining New Orleans in free agency via the Vikings. The same Minnesota Vikings that ended his Saints’ run in the playoffs. PFF gave him a 73.9 grade for the season. He still has a few years on his deal.
Mario Edwards Jr., Saints
MEJ finished this year with three sacks eight TFL and a forced fumble across 14 games for the Saints. The 25-year-old spent last season with the Giants after the Raiders parted ways with the 2015 second-round pick. New Orleans can cut him this offseason with limited dead money or they can keep him for a $3.24 million cap hit.
Taiwan Jones, Texans
The former Raiders running back, corner and special teams player spent this past season with the Houston Texans. He rushed for only 40 yards in 11 games but he made his biggest impact in the wild card round of the playoffs. Jones caught a short pass and took into 34 yards to bring Houston into field goal range in overtime versus Buffalo Wild Card weekend. Jones spent the last few seasons with the Bills even earning special teams captain honors too.
AJ McCaron Texans
McCaron never made a start in his one season with the Raiders last year, after they gave up a late-round pick for him. However, the 29-year-old started week 17 for the playoff-bound Houston Texans. A.J. completed 57 percent of his passes for 225 yards, no touchdowns and an interception versus the Titans.
Gareon Conley, Texans
Conley is the 2017 first-round pick who should’ve been a draft day steal due to some bad circumstances. The OSU product battled injuries with the Silver and Black before they shipped him to the Texans for a third-round draft pick. Conley got 11 passes defended in eight games with the Texans but did not catch an interception. He also added 27 tackles. The 24-year-old improved with the Texans pass rush but PFF gave him an average grade of 63.2 for the season. He will be a free agent after the 2020 season.
Eddie Vanderdoes, Texans
Vanderdoes appeared in only three games for the Texans. The former Raiders third-rounder battled injuries for a couple seasons before the Raiders said peace out. He had eight tackles in those three appearances.
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
Of course, we can’t forget about Marshawn who made headlines coming out of retirement when Seattle desperately needed a running back. Lynch stayed in shape all year. Then he joined Seattle towards the end of the season when all their runners got hurt. Lynch rushed for 34 yards on 12 carries in the regular season, including a TD. He got three TDs in the playoffs but only 33 rushing yards across those two playoff games. Ultimately, he wasn’t enough to help the Hawks beat the Packers in the playoffs.
Neiko Thorpe, Seahawks
Thorpe is in his fourth season with the Seahawks since he and the Raiders parted ways in 2015. Thorpe finished this season on IR after Seattle re-signed him in the offseason. The 29-year-old has mainly been a backup and special teams player the past few seasons.
Obi Melifonwu, Patriots
Practice squad counts? This combine phenom and 2017 second-round pick spent the past two seasons on the Patriots practice squad. They signed him to a reserve contract after the season even though the 25-year-old did not appear in a game last year.
Marshall Newhouse, Patriots
Newhouse spent only the 2017 season as the Raiders starting right tackle. He bounced between Buffalo and Carolina last year but started for the Pats this year. The Saints cut him before the season and Newhouse appeared in 15 games for New England. His playing time tapered off towards the end of the season. PFF graded him 62.8 across 729 offensive snaps for the Patriots.
Shilique Calhoun, Patriots
Calhoun appeared in 15 games for the Patriots as a standup edge rusher. He registered one forced fumble and 9 tackles. The 2016 third-round pick spent three years with the Raiders before they finally let him walk. he did not play in the final three games or playoff game.
Jared Veldheer, Packers
One of the last great picks of Al Davis, Veldheer joined the Packers late. He only played in two regular seasons game for the Packers. However, he played most of the offensive snaps in the Divisional round versus the Seahawks. The 32-year-old veteran has battled injuries since leaving the Raiders but he is still a solid pro at the final stage of his career.
Stefen Wisniewski, Chiefs
The Wiz Kid was one of Reggie McKenzie’s first draft picks. However, he walked to the Jaguars a few years later. He spent the last few seasons playing guard for the Eagles including their Super Bowl season. The Chiefs picked him up in the middle of the year. He played in limited spots until the final two weeks of the season. He has played a ton in the Chiefs last two contests during the regular season and the two playoff games. He is basically the only former Raiders player in the Super Bowl.
Corey Liuget, Bills
The Raiders signed Liuget after the preseason. He did not get a sack for the Silver and Blak but he did get one along with ten tackles for the Bills in seven games. The former Chargers first-rounder battled a lot of injuries during his time there.
Jon Feliciano, Bills
Feliciano famously said he could start. He got more than $7 million from the Bills in free agency last year to prove that. The 28-year-old played over 900 offensive snaps and got a 64.1 grade from PFF.
Lorenzo Alexander, Bills
This 36-year-old Oakland native spent only the 2015 season with the Raiders. He broke out as a Pro Bowler the next year. The past few years he has bounced in and out of the starting lineup. This year was a down year with only two sacks in 16 games and seven starts. The backer appeared in 48 percent of the Bills snaps which is his lowest percentage since leaving the Raiders. He is a free agent this year.
Lee Smith, Bills
Derek Carr’s former security blanket and expert blocker returned to Buffalo this year. He caught only four passes in five starts across 16 appearances. He did play a ton in the Wild Card game the Bills lost.
Seth Roberts, Ravens
Speaking of Carr’s favorite weapons, Seth Roberts played in 16 games with the Ravens. He caught 21 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Ravens after the Raiders cut him in the offseason.
Jihad Ward, Ravens
Ward matched his Raiders career sack total in 11 games with the Ravens, registering only one sack. Ward got three last year with the Colts but only stayed three games with them this year. The 25-year-old former Raiders first-rounder is a free agent this offseason.
Justin Ellis, Ravens
Nose tackle Justin Ellis got his walking papers from the Raiders this year. He went on to play in four games for the Ravens this year. Ellis registered six tackles for the year and one in the playoff game versus the Titans. He is a free agent after this season.
Not that you were wondering.
Still, once a Raiders, always a Raiders. Did I miss any?
