The Las Vegas Raiders were optimistic about their haul from the 2020 NFL Draft, which included wide receiver Henry Ruggs, cornerback Damon Arnette, and linebacker Tanner Muse.
Unfortunately, this group struggled to fit the billing during a rocky rookie season. Although Las Vegas selected Muse to revamp the linebacker corps, he missed the entire year with a toe injury.
Muse was seemingly poised for a rebound year after getting quality snaps in training camp. However, his stint with the team has come to an end after he was waived, via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:
A surprise: The #Raiders are waiving linebacker Tanner Muse, source said.
Muse was a third-round pick out of Clemson in 2020. Missed his entire rookie season because of a toe injury, but took starter reps throughout camp and was a core special teamer.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 6, 2021
To make matters worse, Muse also happened to get cut on his birthday. They even mistakenly sent out a tweet wishing him such before it was later deleted, via The Sporting News.
The Raiders sent Tanner Muse a happy birthday tweet hours after releasing him 😬 pic.twitter.com/0hhFr0u1h4
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 6, 2021
The Raiders had high hopes that Muse can emerge as a potential steal after he helped Clemson win two national titles. He is now the second, former third-round pick to part ways with the team since trading wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. to the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2020 campaign.
The trend certainly does not bode well for wide receiver Bryan Edwards. Fortunately, Las Vegas has expressed plenty of confidence that he made some significant strides in his development heading into Year 2.
Of course, Muse was seen as a casualty of the more experienced approach the Raiders were going for leading into the 2021 NFL season. Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright has since taken his spot on the roster while they also traded a 2022 sixth-round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for linebacker Denzel Perryman.
The timing of Muse’s release was hardly ideal since it was not only on his birthday but with the start of the 2021 campaign just days away. As a result, he will now look elsewhere for a team that needs some young depth at linebacker.
