General manager Mike Mayock fell on the sword Sunday while explaining the trade of third-round draft pick Lynn Bowden Jr. to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2021.
Bowden, who received nearly $1 million in bonus money for the Raiders, was dealt in a “football decision” according to Mayock rather than concerns about his character.
A report Saturday in The Athletic cited Bowden’s potential negative influence on fellow rookies such as Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette as one of the reasons for his departure.
“Character, off the field, the kid did absolutely nothing wrong,” Mayock told reporters in a conference call. “We did our homework on the kid. Off the field. He worked his tail off. He came to work every day. This was completely a football decision, had nothing to do with anything else.”
Mayock said the decision was “his call” and was “100 percent on me,” although no player on the Raiders is moved without the approval and authorization of coach Jon Gruden.
Reporters at practice noted Bowden’s struggles during practice, citing a lack of explosion and difficulties in pass blocking. It became clear Bowden wouldn’t be contributing any time soon, and with the regular season opener coming up Sept. 13 against the Carolina Panthers, the Raiders took the unusual route of trading a player taken 80th overall in the NFL draft.
In college at Kentucky, Bowden was a receiver in 2018 and an option quarterback in 2019.
“I think the position change was a difficult one in any year, but it’s exaggerated in a COVID year with no offseason,” Mayock said. “He was not able to play today at the level expected and because of that we felt like we had to make a move.”
Bowden isn’t the only third-round pick who won’t be on the roster for the season opener. Tanner Muse, the Clemson safety the Raiders are converting to linebacker, will be placed on injured reserve with a toe injury and will miss at least the first three games of the season.
In addition, Sam Young, who was released in Saturday’s cutdown will return to the 53-man roster, Mayock confirmed. Young is a 10-year veteran who can play on both sides at tackle and was taking first team reps while Trent Brown was rehabbing an undisclosed injury during training camp.
According to The Athletic/Florida, running back Dare Ogunbowale was headed to the Raiders after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers although it was unclear if he would be on the practice squad or 53-man roster.
Ogunbowale caught 35 passes for 286 yards for the Bucs last season and played on 64 percent of their defensive snaps. In college at Wisconsin, Ogunbowale rushed for 1,518 yards in his career and played for two years with Raiders fullback Alec Ingold.
The Raiders announced a 14-member practice squad — two spots remain — and changes to the 53-man roster, including Muse and Young, are not expected until Monday.
Included among Mayock’s observations and assessments of the roster:
The release of veteran safety Damarious Randall
“We thought Damarious would come in and compete with Erik (Harris) for that spot across from John Abram. Damarious was not out here every day, through no fault of his own. The more you look at Erik Harris, he’s a glue guy . . . I think he gets underrated.”
The surprise emergence of Kendal Vickers (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) on the defensive line
“Kendal had a great, great camp . . . we know that Rod Marinelli loves defensive linemen that can run with quick feet. And Vickers is a guy with great feet . . . not only did he compete at a high level on every snap, but he did it both inside and outside . . . that gave him a leg up on a roster spot.”
Talent on the roster when compared to 2019
“I think one of our goals was to get faster and more dynamic on both sides of the ball. We hope we’ve done that. With no preseason games or intersquad scrimmages with other teams, we’re not going to know until Sunday.”
The development of rookie corner and projected starter Damon Arnette
Damon was exactly what we thought he would be, tough and competitive. He’s quick, he’s fast, he finds the ball in the air, and as he learns how to be a pro and consistently detail every step along the way, he has a chance to be special. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s got a chance.”
Candidates for punt return specialist after Bowden’s departure
“We’ve got three or four guys right now that are capable of doing it and have done it in the past. You can look at Hunter Renfrow, you can look at Jalen Richard, Nelson Agholor.”