John Locher/AP
Las Vegas Raiders safety Johnathan Abram warms up at the NFL football team’s practice facility Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Henderson, Nev.
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 | 1:04 p.m.
One of the mainstays of the Raiders’ defense over the last three years is no longer with the team.
The Raiders released strong safety Johnathan Abram, who had made 33 starts since the team moved to Las Vegas for the 2020 season, on Tuesday afternoon with NFL Network first reporting the move. Abram was in a positional battle for playing time with veteran Duron Harmon during training camp but appeared to impress new coach Josh McDaniels and new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
The 26-year-old started the first five games of the season before seeing his workload decline the last two weeks, in losses to the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars. Harmon meanwhile has thrived, and the Raiders signed former second-round pick cornerback Sidney Jones, whom was released by the Seahawks, last week to perhaps make Abram expendable.
Abram was originally selected 27th overall out of Mississippi State in the 2019 NFL Draft, making him the latest example of the Raiders’ troubling trend of first-round draft picks not panning out. The team has now cut four of the last six first-round picks taken under former coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock.
National reports indicated Abram and Clelin Ferrell, who was selected No. 4 overall in the same draft, were available at the trade deadline last week but nothing materialized.
The release allows Abram to go to any team while Ferrell will presumably stay with the Raiders as a depth defensive-line piece both on the edge and the interior.
Las Vegas has fielded one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL this season, ranking 28th in giving up 7.3 yards per pass attempt, and Abram’s strength wasn’t in coverage. He’s more of a hard-hitting, run-stuffer, which is why his best season with the Raiders came last year when then defensive coordinator Gus Bradley deployed him mostly as a box safety.
Graham wanted to move Abram around more and must have ultimately decided the fourth-year safety wasn’t up to the task. Las Vegas will look to break a two-game losing streak at 1:05 p.m. Sunday when it hosts Indianapolis at Allegiant Stadium.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
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