Trayvon Mullen‘s return is coming sooner than later. The Raiders designated the defensive back to return from injured reserve today, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
A foot injury forced Mullen out of the lineup in early October. Up to that point, the former second-round pick had been one of the Raiders’ better defenders, collecting 16 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception in four starts. Pro Football Focus had graded Mullen as a top-25 corner through those four games. After appearing in at least 75 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through the first three weeks, Mullen was limited to only six snaps before suffering a foot injury in Week 4.
“I think he wants to be in a position where he feels like he’s ready to go and he’s not at 70 percent or 80 percent,” interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said yesterday (via Jairo Alvarado of SI.com). “And I think we’d like that from him as well to come back where he knows he can get out there and compete.”
The Raiders also waived wideout Dillon Stoner today, per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The rookie signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent back in May, and he’s spent most of the season on the team’s practice squad. He saw time in four games for the Raiders, collecting one special teams tackle while appearing in only seven offensive snaps.