The Oakland Raiders announced that they have signed running back James Butler and wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams to their practice squad and released running back Damarea Crockett.
Butler is very familiar with the Raiders organization after spending part of the 2018 season on their practice squad and then was also with the team this past offseason.
He played his college ball at both Nevada and Iowa. In his senior season at Iowa in 2017, he rushed 91 times for 396 yards and one touchdown.
Ratliff-Williams is a rookie that went undrafted out of North Carolina and spent some time in the Tennessee Titans organization. In three seasons with the Tarheels, he caught 80 passes for 1,340 yards and eight touchdowns, including 42 catches for 689 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his final season in 2018.
It is no secret that the Raiders’ wide receiving corps has dealt with a lot of injuries this season, so he will provide some much-needed depth for that unit.
Crockett had 2,252 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in 28 career games at Missouri before spending the preseason with the Houston Texans. The Raiders signed him to their practice squad before the start of the season, although they obviously feel Butler is a better option currently, which led to his release.
