Report: Raiders release veteran receiver John Brown

There will be no Nelson Agholor magic from John Brown in Las Vegas this year.

Confirming speculation over the past 48 hours, the Raiders have have released Brown — who signed this offseason — on Tuesday as they got down to the 53-man roster. According to NFL Media, Brown asked for his release and the Raiders granted it.

I wouldn’t read too much into the part about Brown asking for his release. Clearly, if the Raiders were high on him, he’d be on the roster this season. It appeared Brown, 31, might be in trouble when he played a lot in the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The Raiders signed Brown to be a major contributor and they gave him decent money just as they did with safety Karl Joseph, who was also cut Tuesday.

The Raiders brought in Brown to replace Agholor, who was stellar as a deep threat last season, and they wanted him to provide that same veteran presence. Brown has said multiple times that one of the reasons why he signed in Las Vegas was to play with quarterback Derek Carr. Now, that pairing will never materialize.

It was surprising that the Raiders cut both Brown and undrafted rookie Dillon Stoner. It means the Raiders are comfortable with starters Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards, slot receiver Hunter Renfrow and backups Zay Jones and Willie Snead.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Las Vegas continues to tinker with the bottom of this group.