Crockett among final cuts made by Raiders
ALAMEDA — New coach Lane Kiffin tweaked, massaged and manipulated his roster all day Friday and the first half of Saturday until he arrived at the 53-player combination he feels gives the Oakland Raiders their best shot at success this season.
As expected, the moves featured a couple of eye-opening transactions. Among them, the Oakland Raiders cut veteran running back Zack Crockett, safety Donovin Darius, second- year guard Kevin Boothe and rookie defensive end Quentin Moses.
"We wish the best for all of the players that were released today, as there were some difficult decisions that were made," Kiffin said in a team release. "However, we kept the best 53 players for the future success of The Oakland Raiders."
The Oakland Raiders resume practicetoday in preparation for their regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 9.
Crockett, 34, became expendable with the addition of veteran Justin Griffith through free agency and Oren O'Neal via the NFL draft. Crockett's release became imminent once Kiffin announced Griffith as the starter Friday.
Boothe started 14 games last season and, by some accounts, was Oakland 's most productive offensive lineman. However, Boothe was deemed a poor fit for new offensive line coach Tom Cable's zone- blocking scheme.
Moses was the first of Oakland 's three third-round draft picks in April. He received a shot at earning the starting spot at right defensive end. However, that job went to veteran Tommy Kelly.
The emergence of fifth-round draftee Jay Richardson and fourth-year player Chris Clemons also factored into the decision to cut Moses before he played his first NFL game.
Other players of note no longer with the Oakland Raiders include wide receiver Alvis Whitted and defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne. Whitted started 13 games last season, but he lost out to newcomers Mike Williams, Travis Taylor and Johnnie Lee Higgins.
The Oakland Raiders also were forced to make a decision on rookie running back Michael Bush, who spent all of training camp on the physically-unable-to- perform list. He still is recovering from the broken right leg he sustained in college almost a year ago and hasn't participated in a team practice since the Oakland Raiders selected him with the first pick of the fourth round of the NFL draft in April.
The Oakland Raiders left Bush on the PUP list. Therefore, he isn't eligible to play until after the sixth week. At that point, the Oakland Raiders have a four-week window in which they can activate Bush at any time. If he isn't activated by the Tuesday following the 10th week of the season, the Oakland Raiders have to cut him or place him on injured- reserve.
Running back Dominic Rhodes is suspended for the first four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, so he is exempt from counting against 53-man roster. First-round draft pick Jamarcus Russell also doesn't count toward the active roster as long as he remains without a contract.
Excluding Jamarcus Russell and Bush, six of Oakland's nine other draftees made the team. They are: O'Neal, tight end Zach Miller, Richardson, offensive tackle Mario Henderson, Higgins, and cornerback John Bowie.
Seventh-round draft pick Johnathan Holland sustained a right shoulder injury during a minicamp and was placed on injured reserve.
Releasing Crockett transcends financial ramifications. It saves the Oakland Raiders approximately $300,000 in salary-cap space, once they factor in the $1.15 million owed Crockett in unaccounted for bonus money.
Crockett was tied with left offensive tackle Barry Sims as the longest-tenured Raider. He joined the Oakland Raiders in 1999 as a free agent and soon developed into one of the league's most productive short-yardage and goal-line backs.
He is tied for third in Oakland Raiders history with 35 touchdowns, though he failed to score last season.
NOTES: The Oakland Raiders today are free to assemble a practice squad of up to eight players. All players cut Saturday have to clear waivers and can't be re-signed until 24 hours have elapsed. ... The Oakland Raiders kept linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba on the active roster, even though he sustained a right foot injury against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night and is expected to miss several weeks, according to Kiffin. ... Defensive tackle Gerard Warren made the roster despite entering the fray Aug.20. He arrived via a trade with the Denver Broncos and was behind his Raider teammates in terms of conditioning. ... Other players cut were WRs Carlos Francis and Chris McFoy; TEs James Adkisson and O.J. Santiago; OTs Chad Slaughter and Mark Wilson; DTs Dave Tollefson and Josh Shaw; LBs Kurt Campbell and Kyle Shotwell; C Jesse Boone; S Eric Frampton; CB Marquice Cole; and K-P Tyler Fredrickson.
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