Raiders Sign RB Smith, Put TE Moreau on IR

Oakland Waives S Swearinger, LB Brown, DT McClain, Puts CB Mabin on IR

The Oakland Raiders announced the signing of free agent running back Rod Smith among several roster moves on Tuesday.

Linebacker Preston Brown, safety D.J. Swearinger and defensive tackle Terrell McClain were waived, tight end Foster Moreau (knee) was placed on the Reserve/Injured List, and cornerback Dylan Mabin was put on the Practice Squad/Injured List.

Later in the day, the Raiders made several more moves, including signing defensive lineman Olsen Pierre and tight end Eric Tomlinson, and promoting cornerback Nick Nelson from the practice squad.

The 6-3, 235-pound Smith was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State in 2015, spent most of his first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and played three games with the Tennessee Titans this year before being released.

In his five-year NFL career, Smith has played in 52 games and made two starts, rushing for 364 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries, and made 30 receptions for 272 yards and one touchdown.

The 6-4, 256-pound Moreau, a fourth-round pick (No. 137 overall) out of LSU in this year’s NFL, sustained a knee injury in last Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans and is out for the season.

Moreau started seven games while making 13 starts for the Raiders, and caught 21 passes for 174 yards and five touchdowns, the most among NFL rookie tight ends this season.

The 5-11, 205-pound Swearinger, selected in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of South Carolina by the Houston Texans, started three of the four games he played with the Raiders after signing as a free agent this season. He made 20 tackles, 15 of them unassisted, one had one pass defensed in the four games.

The 6-1, 255-pound Brown, who was chosen in the third round (No. 73 overall) out of Louisville in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, also signed with the Raiders as a free agent this season. He played in only one game and made one tackle.

The 6-2, 302-pound McClain, picked in the third round (No. 65 overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft out of South Florida by the Carolina Panthers, was another free agent signee by the Raiders this season. He played in three games and made three tackles, one unassisted.

The 6-1, 195-pound Mabin, signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Fordham this season, did not play in a regular season game.

The 6-4, 293-pound Pierre was signed by the Chicago Bears as a free agent out of Miami (Fla.) in 2015 and has also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants in his five-year NFL career. He has made eight starts in the 33 NFL games, being credited with 50 tackles (35 solo), 7.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble.

The 6-6, 263-pound Tomlinson was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Texas-El Paso and also has played with the New York Jets. He has made 31 starts in his 41 NFL games, catching 17 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.

The 5-11, 208-pound Nelson was picked by the Raiders in the fourth round (No. 110 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. He played in 11 games as a rookie, making three starts and being credited with 17 tackles (11 solo), one pass defensed and one fumble recovery.

The Raiders also signed tight end Paul Butler, linebacker Te’von Coney and defensive lineman Kyle Kalis to the practice squad, and released tight end Cole Wick from the practice squad.