Raiders sign former Cowboys DE Kony Ealy

After releasing Bruce Irvin earlier this week it was clear that a replacement for him was going to need to be added. Now it appears the Raiders have two replacements.

Besides signing journeyman DE Jacquies Smith, the Raiders have also added DE Kony Ealy.

Kony Ealy most recently was with the Dallas Cowboys, though he was a September 1st cut for them after signing there in April. He is actually a name many of you might recognize as a former 2nd round draft pick out of Missouri for the Carolina Panthers in 2014.

As Tafur notes above he has 15 sacks in 5 seasons in the NFL, along with 94 tackles, 15 for losses, 2 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He played for the Panthers and the Jets before his short stint with the Cowboys.

Those obviously are not jaw dropping stats, but he has been somewhat productive for a 5 year veteran. Hopefully either Ealy or Jacquies Smith can step in and provide some sort of spark for the struggling Raiders defense, though it can’t really get too much worse from what’s been on the field anyway.

Update: James Cowser has been released in a corresponding move.