Andrew DePaola released, Trent Sieg wins Raiders long snapper battle

Last offseason, the Raiders made Andrew DePaola the highest paid long snapper in the league. Then he got injured and they signed undrafted rookie Trent Sieg. Now they’ve released DePaola.

Long snapper is one of those positions you don’t really notice much unless something goes wrong. Sieg played well at the position last year and nothing went wrong. Actually, plenty went right. With him snapping the ball, Daniel Carlson hit 16 of 17 field goals including 15 straight to end the season. That earned him the job even with DePaola healthy.

In the end, it probably came down to salary. DePaola represents a cap hit of $900K with nothing left over if he’s cut. Sieg’s salary lands below the top 51 so it doesn’t even count against the cap. So, if all else is equal, take the cheaper option. And from the looks of it, all things were at least equal.

With DePaola released, the Raiders signed undrafted rookie linebacker Bryan Allen-Williams in a corresponding move.

Allen-Williams went undrafted out of South Carolina. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker spent five years (2014-18) with the program, appearing in 43 contest for the Gamecocks and compiling 176 tackles (107), 6.5 sacks, four interceptions, two passes defended, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. As a senior in 2018, he was selected as the team’s Comeback Player of the Year and voted by his teammates as the Tenacity Award winner on defense. A Gruden Grinder.