
ALAMEDA – Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong didn’t play a defensive snap for the Raiders on Sunday in Detroit. He won’t make another one.
The team waived him on Tuesday afternoon.
Armstrong was a first-team regular during the offseason program and training camp. He started the season-opener and played every snap, but his playing time decreased due to ineffectiveness.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Raiders started using other options as a coverage linebacker opposite Malcolm Smith, from Curtis Lofton to Neiron Ball to Ben Heeney. Aldon Smith was a fixture off the edge, and Mario Edwards Jr. played there on Sunday, the first game after Smith’s suspension.
Armstrong was an aggressive, high-energy player, but often played out of control. That dropped him on the depth chart and made him a reserve with several options ahead of him.
That allowed the Raiders to release him at this stage. His release did not come with a corresponding move. The Raiders now have an open roster spot, which will presumably be filled by a linebacker.
He finished the season with 21 tackles and a sack.
NFL
Armstrong was recently in the news for allegedly taunting a police dog before a Nov. 8 game at Pittsburgh, though charges were not filed.