Sio Moore has had a good start to his young career in NFL. He was part of the All-Rookie team in 2013. He finished third on the team in tackles last year despite only playing in 11 games and yet he is left battling for his roster spot this season. The Oakland Raiders have made a push to beef up their defensive line to stop the run as they added players like Curtis Lofton and Malcolm Smith in free agency. That has Moore at risk of getting cut before the year begins.
According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, Moore as spent more time watching the defense than participating in the defense. Tafur writes that the Raiders might be wise to trade the talented linebacker and get a fourth or fifth round draft pick in return as other roster additions continue to leap from him on the depth chart. Right now, Smith has been inserted into his position on the weakside spot, meaning Moore is now fighting to be a role player instead of a starter.
"Right now, he's competing to be a role player somewhere," head coach Jack Del Rio said, via CSNBayArea.com. "You have to make sure he can do that. I think he and Roy are in the same boat in terms of being guys who missed a lot of time. The team, we move forward. We'll see. They'll get opportunities over the next week or two weeks and see if they can create a role for themselves and help us on Sundays. To try and cram a guy who hasn't played at all in camp into a potential role as a feature player, I think that's a little far-fetched right now."
Moore will have a chance to prove himself on Thursday in the team's final preseason game. His resume should dictate him a starter regardless, but with a crowded roster group comes competition and Moore must overcome it to be on the Raiders in 2015. When asked about being a role player over starter, Moore had no interest in addressing the comments.
"It's just not something I have to validate with you all," Moore said, via CSNBayArea.com. "That's for me to deal with. If that's what he said, that's what he said."
Another player hoping to be on the final 53-man roster is DJ Hayden who is getting closer and closer to being listed as an official draft bust. Hayden is battling for a cornerback spot after the Raiders added Nate Allen who has been thriving on the field with Charles Woodson. Keith McGill is also making a big name for himself this offseason which is putting Hayden's career in jeopardy.
