Raiders sign 2, fill 10-man practice squad
September 4, 2017 - 3:03 pm
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Raiders filled out their practice squad on Monday.
Soon, one of their former players could help another team do the same.
The Raiders put the final touches on the 10-man unit, signing center James Stone and defensive end Max Valles, the team announced. Meanwhile, two days after being waived, wide receiver K.J. Brent traveled Monday for a workout with the New York Jets, a source said. He is a candidate to land there on the practice squad.
Valles is a familiar face. The Raiders drafted him in the 2015 sixth round out of Virginia.
He spent a portion of his rookie season on the practice squad before the Buffalo Bills signed him to their 53-man roster. He spent 2016 on the Bills’ practice squad and was waived on Saturday. He logged 1 1/2 sacks this preseason and recorded a safety, but he has yet to appear in an NFL regular-season game.
Stone offers the Raiders interior line depth. Offensive line coach Mike Tice developed guard Ian Silberman at center this offseason, but after the team waived Silberman on Saturday, any hope to sign him to the practice squad was dashed when the Indianapolis Colts claimed him Sunday off waivers.
In 2014, Stone entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Falcons. He appeared in 19 games, including 10 starts, before spending training camp with the Buccaneers this year.
The Raiders signed eight players to their practice squad Sunday: wide receiver Keon Hatcher, wide receiver Isaac Whitney, running back Elijah Hood, tight end Pharaoh Brown, guard Jordan Simmons, defensive end Fadol Brown, outside linebacker Shilique Calhoun and cornerback Breon Borders. All eight spent training camp with the Raiders.
Brent, an undrafted rookie in 2016, offers good size at a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame. He spent last year on the practice squad but had a fairly quiet preseason this August, catching five of 15 targets for 62 yards. Rookies Hatcher and Whitney surpassed him and Jaydon Mickens to earn a practice-squad role.
Conley on track
A full week of work awaits cornerback Gareon Conley. The Raiders will hold a walk-through session on Tuesday before practicing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The rookie first-round pick remains on track to play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. He missed all of training camp to a June 13 knee injury before returning to practice last Tuesday. He did not appear in the preseason.
Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.