The Oakland Raiders released cornerback Sean Smith and right tackle Marshall Newhouse on Monday to create more salary cap room heading into
free agency.
The Raiders also officially announced the signing of defensive tackle Justin Ellis to a three-year contract and signed receiver Griff Whalen to a one-year
deal. Ellis had agreed to the deal last week to stay off the free-agent market
but it was not announced until Monday.
Smith is also facing legal problems. He will plead guilty Tuesday to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury in connection with an altercation in
Pasadena last year
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Smith was accused of assaulting his sister’s then-boyfriend, Christopher Woods, on July 4. Two witnesses testified during a preliminary hearing in
December that Smith stomped Woods’ head as he lay bleeding and unconscious.
Smith will be sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Attorney Jonathan Dennis said Woods ”felt the sentence, obviously, was not as strict as it should have been, but he’s pleased he’s admitting guilt.”
Smith was signed as a big-ticket free agent in 2016 to a four-year, $38 million deal. But he never played up to that level and the Raiders have decided
to cut him instead of paying him $8.5 million this year.
Smith got benched in his first game with the Raiders after getting burned by New Orleans’ Brandin Cooks for a 98-yard touchdown. He allowed opposing
quarterbacks to post a 116.5 passer rating when targeting him in 2016
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Smith struggled again early in 2017 and was replaced in the starting lineup by TJ Carrie, before finishing the season strong after John Pagano replaced
fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. for the final six games.
Smith allowed just 15 catches on 27 targets for 202 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions over the final six games for a passer rating of 64.1 as
Pagano better took advantage of Smith’s size and strength. That was down from a
113.3 rating in his one-plus season under Norton.
Oakland will again seek to bolster the secondary in free agency, looking for a starter at cornerback to pair with last year’s first-round pick Gareon
Conley.
Carrie is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday and is free to talk to potential suitors this week.
Newhouse started 14 games last season for the Raiders but new coach Jon Gruden said at the combine that the play at right tackle last season was
inconsistent.
Ellis was originally a fourth-round pick by Oakland in 2014. He has started 41 of the 60 games he has played in during four seasons with the Raiders and is
strong against the run.
Whalen has played 43 games over six seasons in the NFL. He has 51 catches for 532 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 47 punt returns for 378 yards and 29
kickoff returns for 701 yards.
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Associated Press Writer Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report
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The Los Angeles Kings spent much of the season waiting for their role players to step up.
The contributions they had been seeking finally came, putting the Kings on the verge of making the playoffs.
Dustin Brown had a short-handed goal, and Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Clifford also scored to help Los Angeles move back into third place in the Pacific
Division with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.
Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for the Kings, who are one point ahead of Anaheim and can secure a postseason berth by earning one point from their final
two games.
”It’s a big step,” Brown said. ”Things have to go really wrong for us and really good for other teams
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Alexander Kerfoot had a power-play goal and Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots for the Avalanche.
Colorado leads St. Louis by one point for the second Western Conference wild card, but the Blues have a game in hand. The Avalanche host the Blues on
Saturday in the final game of the regular season for both.
”We have a young team, but there are still no excuses,” Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. ”We know we should be in the playoffs. We are a good team
and we’ve worked hard all season. We’ve got to get creative.”
The Kings played more than 56 minutes with just five defensemen after Derek Forbort was injured when he was checked into the boards by Gabriel Bourque. Alec
Martinez played a career-high 32:11, one of four Kings defensemen to play at
least 20 minutes.
”You ask big minutes out of those guys, to dig in and play with different partners, possibly play the wrong side and different matchups than you’re
accustomed to
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competed was excellent.”
Stevens could not update the condition of Forbort, who left the dressing room on crutches and unable to put any weight on his right leg.
While their defensive depth was pushed to the limits, the Kings got some much-needed offense from their bottom two lines.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead at 9:29 of the first period thanks to an opportunistic goal by Mitchell. Bernier was caught by surprise when Nate
Thompson’s shot hit the boards and bounced into the crease, jumping into the air
to avoid sending it back into his own net. Mitchell charged in to score his
sixth of the season.
Brown made it 2-0 at 12:32, scoring his 24th on a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle.
Clifford scored on a wraparound two minutes into the third period to restore a two-goal lead for the Kings after Kerfoot cut the deficit to 2-1 at 4:33 of
the second, going top shelf over Quick’s glove for his second goal in two
games.
Clifford ended a run of 12 games without a goal. Mitchell hadn’t scored since Feb. 20.
”You see what guys are willing to do this time of year and emotionally invest in a game,” Stevens said. ”I thought everybody was willing to dig in when the
game mattered. We all know the enormity of this game for both teams
Colton Schmidt Jersey , and we knew it was going to take a second and third effort on a lot of plays to get it done.”
NOTES: The Kings swept the season series against the Avalanche, limiting them to one goal in each of the three games. … Avalanche forward Colin Wilson had an
assist after missing the previous five games with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Kings: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
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