Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley calls out to players during an off-season practice at the Raiders practice facility in Henderson Wednesday, June 2, 2021.
Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021 | 6:59 p.m.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Denzel Perryman walks to a joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens hosted by Carolina at the NFL football team’s training camp in Spartanburg, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021.
With linebackers Nicholas Morrow and Javin White both “out for a while,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said this afternoon that the team would “perhaps” look for outside help at the position.
It only took a few hours before he officially found it, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the Raiders have swung a trade with the Carolina Panthers for veteran linebacker Denzel Perryman. Las Vegas traded away a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft for Perryman in addition to a Carolina seventh-round pick.
Perryman is a former second-round pick of the Chargers who’s spent the last four seasons playing under current Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. That should mean he has familiarity with the system, making it easier to adjust quickly and provide help in joining a linebacking corps consisting of Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkoski, Tanner Muse and Divine Deablo.
Kwiatkoski also missed practice Wednesday, but Gruden said his injury was not serious and the former Chicago Bear should be “ready to go” next week ahead of his second season with the Raiders. The outlook is less rosy on Morrow, who suffered a foot injury in a joint practice with the Rams last week, and White, who hurt his knee in a preseason win over the Rams.
Morrow was penciled in as the Raiders’ starting middle linebacker while White was trending toward making the team and contributing in a backup role. White’s injury initially appeared worse, but Gruden said Wednesday that “Morrow will be out a little longer than White.”
There was much speculation that Bradley would try to reunite with free-agent linebacker K.J. Wright, who helped anchor the coach’s last couple of units as defensive coordinator with the Seahawks. Wright visited the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters earlier in training camp but departed without a deal.
His signing now seems highly unlikely with Perryman instead coming in to help the Raiders’ linebacker situation.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
