ALAMEDA – The Raiders don’t have to trim their talent pool to 53 until Saturday.
Oakland traded wide receiver Ryan Switzer Monday morning, and made some other veteran moves that afternoon.
The Raiders released right tackle Breno Giacomini, and receiver Griff Whalen was placed on injured reserve with a toe injury.
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Cornerback Jarell Carter and defensive tackle Connor Flagel were signed in corresponding moves, though both guys will only be here for the week, to get some game film from Thursday’s exhibition finale against Seattle that might help get another job.
Giacomini was the early frontrunner to start at right tackle, given his experience – he has 86 starts in 94 games – and relationship with offensive line coach Tom Cable.
He suffered a knee injury early in training camp and never returned, falling out of the mix there. The Raiders moved Donald Penn to right tackle and seem ready to go forward with the experiment. David Sharpe, Ian Silberman and Brandon Parker are also options on the right side.
Whalen has played well this preseason, and saw work with top units over the last few weeks. He left Friday’s preseason win over Green Bay in a walking boot. Head coach Jon Gruden said Whalen has turf toe and should miss a few weeks, but the team put him on IR anyway.
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He was in the mix for a roster spot, but there was no guarantee he’d get one even after Switzer got shipped to Pittsburgh. Whalen should reach an injury settlement that will allow him to play somewhere else once healthy, or he can return to the Raiders for a minimum of six weeks.
Giacomini and Whalen signed with the Raiders this offseason as free agents, and it should be considered odd to see players like them let go before the season starts.
Gruden has no issue cutting bait on free agent signings or recent draft picks. If a move doesn’t pan out, he quickly moves on.