When Raiders head coach Jon Gruden spoke about the team’s decision to sign cornerback Daryl Worley this week, he said that the team felt Worley deserved another chance in the wake of the arrest that led the Eagles to release him.
The Raiders added another player with a checkered off-field history on Thursday when they traded a third-round pick to Pittsburgh for wide receiver Martavis Bryant. Bryant’s size and speed make him what General Manager Reggie McKenzie called an “ideal” receiver for the Raiders offense and McKenzie said that Bryant’s one-year suspension in 2016 did not give them pause about bringing him to the team.
“When we talk about character, we’re not going to condemn them,” McKenzie said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “We’re not going to nail them for life, so to speak, if we see some semblance of -- whether it’s remorse or whether it’s getting on the right path -- when we talk to the guy. We talked to Worley, we feel good about bringing him in. And we feel good about giving Martavis an opportunity. And we think with our resources, we can help him.”
With Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson coming off rough seasons and Bryant getting the trade he sought last year, the Raiders receiving corps has a chance to be filled with redemption songs in 2018.