Raiders Sign DE Kony Ealy; Place S Reggie Nelson on IR
ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed free agent DE **Kony Ealy**, the club announced Wednesday.
A former second-round pick (60th overall) of the Carolina Panthers in the 2014 NFL Draft, Ealy now enters his second stint this season with the Raiders and fifth year in the league after making stops with the Panthers (2014-16) and New York Jets (2017). At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, the defensive end has appeared in 62 games over his career with the two clubs, making 19 starts and compiling 90 tackles (53 solo), 15 sacks, two interceptions, 14 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In postseason action, Ealy has appeared in five contests and made one start, notching 11 stops (five), three sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
In a corresponding move, the Raiders have placed S **Reggie Nelson** on the Reserve/Injured List. Nelson signed as a free agent in 2016 and started all 32 games in his first two seasons with the club, appearing in a total of 43 contests. Over his 12-year career, he has appeared in 181 contests and made 164 starts, recorded 830 tackles (605 solo), 6.5 sacks, 38 interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, 93 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. His 38 interceptions lead all active players in the NFL.
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Raiders Sign RB C.J. Anderson; Place Bryant on IR
ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed free agent RB **C.J. Anderson**, the club announced Wednesday.
A 2014 Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl 50 champion, the 5-foot-8, 225-pound running back is now in his sixth year in the NFL after playing his first five seasons with the Denver Broncos (2013-17) and making a stop in Carolina this season with the Panthers. Over his 67-game career, Anderson has made 37 starts and rushed for 3,155 yards on 717 attempts (4.4 avg.) with 20 touchdowns. As a receiver, Anderson has hauled in 104 passes for 883 yards and five additional scores. His postseason totals include five games played with two starts, rushing 74 times for 323 yards and two touchdowns, adding 16 receptions for 82 yards.
Anderson, a former undrafted player out of Cal, has exceeded 1,000 yards from scrimmage in two seasons (2014 and 2017), and broke the 1000-yard rushing barrier for the first time in 2017 with the Broncos, as he started in all 16 games and totaled 1,007 yards on 245 touches, adding three scores on the ground and one receiving touchdown. Anderson's Pro Bowl honor in 2014 features a campaign that holds career highs in rushing touchdowns (eight), receptions (34), receiving yards (324) and receiving touchdowns (two).
In 2018, the Vallejo, Calif., native appeared in nine games for the Panthers, making one start and rushing 24 times for 104 yards, while adding a 24-yard receiving score.
In a corresponding move, the Raiders have placed WR **Martavis Bryant** on the Reserve/Injured List. In eight appearances this season, Bryant made two starts in his first season with the Silver and Black and recorded 19 receptions for 266 yards before a knee injury kept him inactive the last three contests.
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Raiders Sign CB Bene Benwikere; Place Calhoun on IR
ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed free agent CB **Bene Benwikere**, the club announced Wednesday.
A former fifth-round pick (148th overall) of the Carolina Panthers in the 2014 NFL Draft, Benwikere is now in his fifth season in the NFL, having made stops with the Dallas Cowboys (2017) and Arizona Cardinals (2018) after his first three seasons with the Panthers. Over his five-year career, the Fontana, Calif., native has appeared in 50 games and made 22 starts, recording 153 tackles (115 solo), 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, 25 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Last season, the San Jose State alum appeared in 12 games with the Cowboys before signing with the Cardinals this past offseason. In 11 games this season, the 6-foot-, 195-cornerback compiled 49 tackles (37), one interception, four passes defensed and one forced fumble with the club.
In a corresponding move, the Raiders have placed LB **Shilique Calhoun** on the Reserve/Injured List. Originally a third-round (75th overall) selection by the club in the 2016 NFL Draft, Calhoun has appeared in 26 games over three seasons with the Silver and Black, totaling 23 stops (13) and 0.5 sacks. Calhoun appeared in seven games this season and recorded 12 tackles (six).
