ALAMEDA Tarvarius Moore Jersey , Calif. (AP) —cted veteran retired and the team’s No. 1 receiver was traded away.The losses for the Oakland Raiders have been mounting on and off the field in recent weeks as a season that began with optimism has fallen apart at the midway point.After four straight losses, including a blowout by Bay Area rival San Francisco, have left the Raiders (1-7) tied for the worst record in the NFL, it’s time to start looking to the future.To that end, coach Jon Gruden called in his rookie class Friday following the 34-3 loss to the 49ers and delivered a message to the group.“He was just telling us he needs more from us rookies,” defensive end Arden Key said Monday. “He needs more, more, more. He said we’re doing pretty good but he needs more. We need to lead the league in effort and we’re not doing that as rookies. … It was a wake-up call and we answered.”Little has gone right of late for the Raiders, who have been outscored by 85 points during a four-game losing streak. The team has also cut captains Bruce Irvin and Derrick Johnson during that span, watched cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie retire, and traded receiver Amari Cooper to Dallas for a first-round draft pick.That follows the trade one week before the start of the season that dealt star pass rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago for a package of picks, including two first-rounders.Oakland was last in the league with seven sacks before cutting ties with Irvin, who led the team with three. Only rookies Maurice Hurst (two sacks) and Key (one), along with Clinton McDonald (one) have sacks among players on the active roster.That’s why Gruden wants more from his rookie class that also features defensive tackle P.J. Hall.“I know right now the maturity level on this team has to rise up,” veteran defensive lineman Frostee Rucker said. “We just have to be a complete team and do the little things better. That’s what we’re starting with today Kentavius Street Color Rush Jersey , trying to do the little things better.”The Raiders also added some reinforcements Monday, signing defensive linemen Jacquies Smith and Kony Ealy to contracts.Ealy had 14 sacks in three seasons with Carolina from 2014-16, including three in a Super Bowl loss to Denver following the 2015 season. He was traded to New England in 2017, got cut by the Patriots and then signed with the New York Jets, where he had one sack in 15 games.Ealy spent training camp in Dallas before getting cut by the Cowboys on Sept. 1.Smith was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and finally got his first chance to play in 2014 with Tampa Bay. He had 13 1/2 sacks in 27 games his first two seasons with the Buccaneers before suffering a major knee injury in 2016.Smith has played just seven games the past three seasons with Tampa, Detroit and Arizona, recording three tackles and no sacks in seven games. Smith was released by Arizona in September.Smith worked out for the Raiders in recent weeks and got the call Sunday, a day after Irvin was released. Smith said he feels as healthy as he has since before the injury and is eager for the chance to show what he can do.“It’s been very frustrating,” he said. “Obviously, I have a ton of confidence in myself. Obviously, I’ve made a ton of plays in this league. Just getting back and getting that opportunity to do that. I’m very confident in my ability. Obviously, these guys see something in me to give me a shot.”NOTES: The Raiders waived James Cowser. … LT Kolton Miller didn’t have a helmet at practice after re-injuring his right knee last Thursday. … LG Kelechi Osemele participated in practice despite injuring his knee again against the 49ers. … RB Marshawn Lynch stopped by practice for the first time since undergoing surgery on an injured groin last month. The San Francisco 49ers had some problems with their defensive line and decided to fire Jeff Zgonina when Kris Kocurek became available. Now Kocurek has his first assignment: assess Solomon Thomas. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh met with the media Wednesday and said that Kocurek is hard at work watching film and evaluating Thomas. Here are some specific quotes taken from Jennifer Lee Chan’s story on the matter: Is this an assessment for Thomas’ job? Perhaps. This also could be an assessment on how he could be used by Kocurek’s brand of coaching in Saleh’s system. As Saleh said, it’s an unbiased opinion of a player. A player the 49ers have been unable to get to the level they want. If there’s any question as to why one player is getting singled out for detailed analysis, it’s simple: Thomas was taken with the third pick of the2017 NFL Draft and has four sacks in two seasons to show for it. The 49ers need to figure out why this is the case, and how best to improve the situation.The 49ers also have a big decision to make with the second pick in the 2019 NFL Draft with Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams a possible addition to the 49ers—and a replacement for Thomas. Spending another high pick to replace a pick taken two years prior is not an ideal way to build a football team, so that’s another good reason to grind film on Thomas and get as much info on his first two seasons as possible. If the 49ers see a way to get Thomas coached up https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Alfred-Morris-Jersey , or a better way to use him, it will no doubt trickle into their draft strategy.If Thomas were a UDFA or a late, late pick, this type of detail may not be necessary—the 49ers could just move on or do normal film work when scheduled. The 49ers, however, invested a third overall pick in Thomas, and while he’s not near the level of a bust, he has not performed to the expectations of a player taken that high. Disappointments aside, the 49ers played Thomas out of position an awful lot, sometimes lining him up as an edge rusher on pass downs. When Thomas was kicked inside he fared much better.Let’s also not forget that Thomas has been a year-removed from the death of his sister who took her own life January 23rd, 2018. A traumatic situation like that can linger for years and come with a mental effect.The book isn’t shut on Thomas. The 49ers want to get their new defensive line coach familiar with him and to find a way they can get Thomas coached so they can use him to his full potential. It’s also so they can form a plan on how to use him going forward.And, of course, try to narrow down their needs along the defensive line with that No. 2 pick.
