The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly decided to release rookie defensive back Woo Gardner, as noted by Aaron Wood of KRPC-TV.
Fortunately for Gardner, his preseason performance was strong enough that other NFL teams are likely to be interested in him.
“Governor, a 23-year-old cornerback, earned All-MVFC First Team honors at Northern Iowa but went undrafted this year,” stated Darryn Albert of Larry Brown Sports. “After signing on as an undrafted free agent with the Raiders, Governor put forth a solid preseason, recording 10 combined tackles and exhibiting noteworthy skills in coverage.”
The player’s full name is DeMarcus, but his nickname “Woo” is expected to grab headlines — even if it wasn’t originally intended for that purpose. In fact, he is one of just seven players in Northern Iowa’s history to return two interceptions for touchdowns and finished his college career with four interceptions and 123 tackles.
Like every NFL team, the Raiders must trim their roster from 90 players down to the league-mandated 53 by 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Raiders are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 6-11 season. They will kick off their campaign on the road against AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8.
In addition to Gardner, the team will also let go of quarterback Nathan Peterman, as reported by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
“Peterman, 30, returned to Las Vegas earlier this month after being released by New Orleans. He completed 12-of-19 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown during the preseason,” Simmons noted. “In 15 career games, Peterman has a completion percentage of 53 percent for 712 yards, along with four touchdowns and 13 interceptions.”
“The Raiders are set to start Gardner Minshew at quarterback, with Aidan O’Connell as the backup. The roster also includes undrafted rookie Carter Bradley at that position.”
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