After quarterback Aidan O'Connell was sacked four times in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14, the Las Vegas Raiders are bringing in a reinforcement along the offensive line.
The Raiders signed free agent lineman DJ Fluker on Monday, his agent told Jordan Schultz. Fluker worked out with the team on Friday and signed his first NFL contract of any kind since 2021 three days later.
Schultz mentioned that Fluker dropped about 50 pounds and considers himself to be in the best shape of his life. Listed at 342 pounds according to his Pro Football Reference page, it's easy to assume the 6'5 Fluker is below 300 pounds and a little more mobile than he was during his last appearance in an NFL game in 2020.
A first-round pick (11th overall) by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2013, Fluker started all 59 games he appeared in for the team through the 2016 season. He spent one season with the New York Giants before playing 24 games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 and 2019.
Fluker's final NFL season to date was in 2020 when he played in all 16 games for the Baltimore Ravens, starting half of them. He bounced around three different teams in 2021, never suiting up for a game. His last tenure with a team before signing with the Raiders was a three-day stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars at the end of the 2021 season.
Fluker spent six weeks on the Raiders practice squad during that year but never played for Las Vegas. It remains to be seen if he'll earn playing time during the final four weeks of the season, but the Raiders would likely want to see what Fluker can do in a game before considering bringing him back in 2024.
