Raiders news: Las Vegas trades for linebacker Denzel Perryman

It didn’t take long.

On Wednesday afternoon, Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden said the team was looking outside the organization to help his injury-exhausted linebacker crew. Four hours later, the team traded a trade with the Carolina Panthers for linebacker Denzel Perryman.

The deal is pending a physical exam for Perryman, who was assaulted at Carolina training camp. The Raiders will send their sixth-round pick to the Panthers and receive Carolina’s seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft.

So basically the Raiders get a familiar relief from the position and the Panthers get a little something for a player who may not have been on the roster. Perryman signed a two-year, $ 6 million contract with the Panthers in the offseason, but he hadn’t done much in training camp. It will cost around $ 2 million this year. The addition could take Las Vegas off the market for linebacker KJ Wright, who has been connected to the team for weeks but could be overpriced.

Perryman spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the Chargers. and the final four under new Las Vegas defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. So it’s clear the Raiders felt comfortable making this addition.

Perryman is a talented player, but he’s struggled to stay healthy. He never played a full season in the NFL. He has missed 27 games in his career. He played 13 games last season and started six games.

Starting linebacker Nicholas Morrow could run out of time during the regular season due to a foot injury. Substitute linebacker Javin White suffers from a knee injury. Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski could return next week and linebacker Darron Lee will miss the season in the injured reserve.

So Perryman’s need was great. He could start early in the season and likely be a rotating player when Las Vegas is healthy in that position.