Defensive End/Linebacker James Cowser

Oakland Raiders defensive end/linebacker James Cowser spent part of his offseason a little differently than one would expect.

For two weeks, the versatile edge rusher was fully immersed in Shanghai, working on growing the game of football in Asia in conjunction with the NFL China league office.

Cowser, who speaks fluent Mandarin, spent his time abroad not only becoming more familiar with the business side of the game, but also helping at youth camps, as well as assisting in growing NFL China's digital presence.

"James is a truly exceptional young man," said Richard Young, Managing Editor of NFL China. "He was a positive, eager, curious, and open bundle of energy in our office.  A great person to work with and as we told him many times we would love to have him back. James did everything asked of him and more, always with a positive and open attitude.  His Chinese is impressive, far better that any of us imagined so that really helped in allowing us to do more with him on social media and in clinics.  An all-around positive experience. As mentioned we are happy to have James back and open to working out any other arrangements with the Raiders in the future."

While he was in Shanghai, Cowser served as a guest contributor to Raiders.com, not only penning a pair of journal entries, but also sending back numerous video clips of his travels.

You can check out the highlights of his trip, below.

Offseason Journal: James Cowser Travels To China- Entry One

Offseason Journal: James Cowser Travels To China- Entry Two