NFL news and notes: Raiders cut Brandon Marshall; Graham Gano (knee) placed on IR | Sporting News
Friday was an eventful day in the NFL, as the deadline to finalize rosters approaches.
Teams will have to fill out their rosters by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
But quite a few other notable things happened aside from a number of franchises already beginning to trim their numbers.
We saw some surprising injury updates, hierarchies being established on depth charts and record contracts, as well.
Three things that matter
The Raiders cut Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall may have been recovering from a knee injury this offseason, but many projected the 29-year-old linebacker to become a starter for the Raiders in 2019. However, it appears he wasn’t able to return to his old form in the five months he was with the team.
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Marshall’s departure makes the Raiders look weaker on paper and it now opens the door for other teams to swoop in and sign him once he’s in better shape.
He could turn out to be a huge mid-season acquisition.
Carolina places Graham Gano on the IR
Graham Gano has been a part of the Panthers’ special teams since 2012, but this could be the end of his seven-year run.
The veteran kicker, who earned a Pro-Bowl nod in 2017, missed the last four games of 2018 with a plant leg injury that hasn’t recovered, and now rookie Joey Slye will get a chance to win the job.
Oakland makes Rodney Hudson league’s highest paid center
While Oakland lost some steam on the defensive end, it’s shoring up its front line by giving Rodney Hudson a three-year, $34 million deal.
One of the Raiders’ top priorities is to protect quarterback Derek Carr, so it might be best for them to lock up Hudson now and promote a positive environment for the signal-caller and wide receiver Antonio Brown to flourish.
If the Raiders believe they have the best center and offensive tackle in the league, they’re in good shape.
Two things that don’t matter
Rolando McClain returns to the NFL after missing last three seasons
Rolando McClain hasn’t played in the NFL since he was suspended in 2016.
While the league has granted him reinstatement, the former Cowboy likely won’t fill a starting role if he does sign with a team in 2019.
The linebacker’s professional football journey has certainly been interesting, though.
Geno Smith wins Seattle’s backup quarterback job
Let’s face it, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson doesn’t miss games.
The signal-caller has played in all 16 regular season games for the Seahawks since being drafted in 2012 and inked a massive contract this offseason.
Wilson hasn’t given Seattle any reason to worry about his health, and that shouldn’t be subject to change in 2019. But if it does, Geno Smith will be the next man up after it was reported he’ll step into the role as QB2 next week.
One video you’ll have to see
You probably already knew this, but Chicago’s Tarik Cohen is freakishly athletic.
Friday’s tweet of the day
Colin Kaepernick shared some reading he’s doing via Twitter, a possible jab at the recent announcement from the NFL and its newest partner in Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, as he awaits another shot at the NFL.