It would appear DT Jonah Laulu has fallen out of favor with the Raiders this season. After appearing in every game his first two seasons in Las Vegas and starting 22 of those games, he was waived Tuesday.
The move was made in correspondence with WR Dont'e Thornton being activated from injured reserve. But it's telling that, with a somewhat crowded group of interior defensive linemen, that is was Laulu who got the ax.
Twice this season Laulu has been placed on the inactive list, including this past Sunday against the Rams. The move was made clearly for the purposes of trying to bulk up to stop the Rams' run game. A plan that failed miserably with their top two backs both nearly putting up 100-yard games.
Also inactive for the game was Thomas Booker
IV. Those moves were made in favor of second-year sixth round pick. JJ Pegues and undrafted practice squad call up Tim Keenan.
Pegues in particular has spent four of the team's seven games this season on the inactive list. And he forced a fumble in Sunday's game along with putting up a couple tackles.
It could be simply that the team figures Laulu is the most likely to go unclaimed so they can re-sign him to the practice squad. We will see both if that holds true this time tomorrow when he will either be claimed or clear waivers and is eligible to be re-signed.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders cut 3rd-year starting defensive tackle
