Raiders claim Takk McKinley off of waivers

Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders got their hands on Takk McKinley. ESPN reported that the Raiders claimed the pass rusher off of waivers from the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

ESPN also reported the Raiders added former Atlanta first-round pick Vic Beasley to the practice squad. To make room for him, defensive end Datone Jones was waived from the practice squad.

The Raiders claimed McKinley three times in the past couple of weeks. The Atlanta Falcons waived McKinley, their first-round pick in 2017, two weeks ago. The Cincinnati Bengals claimed him and them failed him on a physical because of a groin injury. The San Francisco 49ers then claimed him and failed him as well.

Now, he is a Raider, barring a failed physical, of course.

The 49ers and Cleveland Browns claimed him from both the Falcons and the Bengals, just like the Raiders did. The Raiders are 6-4 and have claiming priority over the 7-3 Browns, who also claimed McKinley three times. The Raiders had waiver priority over the Browns until Week 11 when the Browns won and the Raiders lost.

The claim is a low risk. If McKinley isn’t ready to play right away, the Raiders can waive him and then try to sign him later. McKinley is 25 and has 17.5 career sacks.

The Raiders have a huge need at pass rusher. They’ve had little pass-rush success all season. Beasley, who had an NFL-high 15.5 sacks in 2016, has seen his production slip in recent seasons. The Tennessee Titans released him recently after he didn’t have any sacks this season. But the Raiders will give him a chance to potentially help them down the stretch.