Wow, what a Monday for the Raiders! Just a day after making all their official roster cuts, the team dropped a bombshell, announcing that wide receiver Dont’e Thornton is heading straight to injured reserve. This is a tough break, especially since Thornton has been sidelined for much of camp and for several weeks now, and coach Klint Kubiak has been saying he expected the guy back “soon” for ages!
The Thornton Injury Mess Just Got Real
Honestly, this whole Thornton situation has been a rollercoaster. Kubiak was talking about him returning during the preseason, then on Friday, he was still just saying, “He’s still working to come back from an injury, working really hard at it too. And that’s part of football, injuries are part of football, and he’s straining to get better to get back on the field.” Like, come on! We still don’t even know what his exact injury is, or how severe it is! That’s wild. It almost feels like sending him to IR was the plan all along, even when he made the initial roster. Talk about leaving everyone guessing, man. You just hate to see a player dealing with an unknown injury right as the season is about to kick off.
Segun Olubi’s Back and It’s a Total Veteran Flex!
But hey, there’s always a twist, right? Remember linebacker Segun Olubi, the special teams maven? He was the one unexpected cut from pretty much every 53-man roster projection out there, and fans were scratching their heads. Now we know why! The Raiders totally played a chess move by cutting him and then signing him *right back*! This was only a risk if Olubi wanted to go somewhere else, but as a vested veteran, he wasn’t subject to waivers, meaning the Raiders could pull off this move without fear of losing him. Olubi joined up this offseason after four seasons with the Colts, where he was a beast. Last season alone, he played in all 17 games, racking up 11 special teams tackles, a forced fumble, and even blocked a punt,get this, against the Raiders! Overall in Indy, the 6-0, 225-pound linebacker appeared in 51 games and logged 30 special teams tackles, the most on the Colts over that span. Getting that kind of experience and proven special teams production back on the roster, after a calculated risk, is just smart football.
So, as the season inches closer, these final roster moves are huge. The Thornton situation is a definite blow, but bringing back a special teams ace like Olubi shows the front office is working the angles. We’re locked in, waiting for what comes next and how these moves impact the team when the real games start.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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