The Las Vegas Raiders are desperate for some production in the sack department, signing both Vic Beasley and Takk McKinley recently. Even though Beasley and McKinley won't be active on Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons, Jon Gruden believes both of them will be major cogs in Las Vegas' defense.
“I don’t want to say that Vic is going to be ready to go this week, but we’re going to keep looking at him,” Gruden said, via the East Bay Times. “We’re going to try to teach him our defense and bring him up to speed hopefully he can make a contribution soon.
Gruden also discussed how he's confident that McKinley will become a key contributor to the defense at some point this season.
“Takk McKinley will not be on the trip this week, but he is a big part of our plans for the future,” Gruden said Friday during a teleconference. “I just don’t know how far in the immediate future that is.”
Beasley signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans before the season in hopes to revive his career after leaving the Falcons. But after failing to produce much for the Titans, Beasley was released, allowing him to sign with the Raiders.
Similar to Beasley, McKinley is hoping to have a spark in his career following his departure from Atlanta. McKinley has been unhappy with his role with the Falcons and was released, giving him a chance to reunite with Beasley.
The Raiders currently have just 11 sacks on the season, which is the second-fewest in the NFL behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. While neither Beasley and McKinley will get a chance to get revenge on their former team in Week 12, Gruden is excited to add them to the defense this season.
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