Raiders waive two, rookie corner returns to team

The Raiders have announced several transactions today. They waived linebacker Marshall McFadden and safety Shelton Johnson, both of whom had been placed on injured reserve last week. Rookie cornerback Jansen Watson returned to the team as well.

McFadden had gone down with a hip flexor in the first week of camp and Shelton Johnson was lost to an unknown injury early in camp as well. The team had placed them on injured reserve last week, signing replacements at each position. At linebacker, they brought in undrafted rookie Spencer Hadley. At safety, they signed free agent Larry Asante.

Watson made a rather shocking decision to leave the team for unknown reasons last week to "contemplate his future" according to a Raiders spokesperson. That contemplative period is over and he has decided to return to keep his NFL hopes alive.

Watson played quite well in the Raiders' first preseason game. He had two passes defended and both times, nearly intercepted the ball. He did similar things in practice. He has good skills and if he could hold onto the ball, he could really do something special. While it will be hard to break into the cornerbacks on this team as currently constructed, he is definitely a practice squad candidate.

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