And thus ends the legend of Chris Warren III — for now. The preseason standout and much-ballyhooed running back was waxed from the Oakland Raiders roster on Sunday.
“He didn’t meet out fitness expectations,” Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson plainly said during Sunday’s post-practice press conference. “There are certain standards that we have here, and we expect a certain level of professionalism with the players coming to training camp. He did not meet our fitness expectations, so we decided to make a change.”
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The Raiders signed roster yo-yo tailback James Butler in a corresponding move. CW III found himself in the good graces of many in Raider Nation after leading the league in preseason rushing yards last year. A knee injury found him as a stash-type player.
Quick Slants: Raiders with a Warren-ted release
Warren reportedly packed on the muscle in the offseason and many would prognosticate he would make a serious run at not only a roster spot, but the starting gig. And just like that, the imposing 6-foot-2 246-pound 23-year-old is no longer a Raider. After one training camp practice, no less.
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Now Warren joins the Raiders — or Raider Nation’s — preseason hall of fame class along the side of George Atkinson III, LaTroy Lewis, Louis Rankin, and a slew of others.
Let’s hit the Quick Slants as fast as CW III was shown the door:
- This is common knowledge: Do not read too much — high or low — on training camp reports, tweets and videos. These are unpadded practice and are full-speed walkthroughs. The true barometer: when the pads come on.
- “Substitute Teacher” is a heck of a nickname for rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. And the moniker came from quarterback Derek Carr. The unassuming wideout is showcasing what he did at Clemson: A slithery receiver who can knows how to get open and make the grabs.
- There’s a neat video of camp practices that features rookie UDFA WR Keelan Doss running a route against Gareon Conley. Doss thought he was slick with a push off and an inside move to get free but, lo and behold, rookie safety Johnathan Abram sprints in for an even smoother interception.
Wait for it… @JohnathanAbram1 pic.twitter.com/1Ge69bhW7B
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) July 28, 2019
- Carr acknowledges he needs to use his legs more at Jon Gruden’s behest. DC is more athletic than he’s given credit for and him moving around the pocket or taking off will both buy time and make defenses aware of his wheels. If Carr does use his legs more, it will help break the shackles of defensive pressure and allow Antonio Brown to exploit defenses with his improvisational skills.
- Alec Ingold is an undrafted rookie I hope makes the roster. The fullback from Wisconsin is a bruising blocker and has an unheralded ability to catch the ball when tasked to do so. Despite being an NFL neophyte, Ingold comes in with prototype blocking ability — something that the incumbent fullback doesn’t have.