Nevin Lawson - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars To Sign Nevin Lawson

September 22nd, 2021 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are signing Nevin Lawson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran cornerback, just days after his release from the Raiders.

The Raiders figured they could re-sign Lawson to the practice squad, but the Jaguars quickly spoiled their plans. Now, Lawson is set to dress for this week’s game against the Cardinals. The Jags are banged up in the secondary, with Tre Herndon (knee) and C.J. Henderson (hip flexor and groin) nursing injuries.

This’ll mark Lawson’s first live action of 2021 after serving a two-game suspension to open the year. The Raiders could have activated him for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, but they chose to drop him instead. There’s reason to believe that Lawson can be a solid contributor to someone’s secondary — he started in nine of his 14 games last year and tallied 61 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a sack.

If signed, the 30-year-old could dress for this week’s game against the Cardials. As of this writing, the Jaguars’ have Tre Herndon, Shaquill Griffin, and Chris Claybrooks, second-rounder Tyson Campbell, and former first-rounder C.J. Henderson on the roster.

Nevin Lawson Visiting Jaguars

September 21st, 2021 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Nevin Lawson will visit the Jaguars today (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). If all goes well, Lawson could find work just 24 hours after being released by the Raiders.

The Raiders dropped Lawson on Monday with hopes of re-signing him to the practice squad. That won’t happen if Lawson lands a suitable 53-man roster deal in Jacksonville.

Lawson has yet to make his 2021 debut, thanks to a two-game ban to open the season. The Raiders could have activated him for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, but they chose to drop him instead. There’s reason to believe that Lawson can be a solid contributor to someone’s secondary — he started in nine of his 14 games last year and tallied 61 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a sack.

If signed, the 30-year-old could dress for this week’s game against the Cardials. As of this writing, the Jaguars’ have Tre Herndon, Shaquill Griffin, and Chris Claybrooks, second-rounder Tyson Campbell, and former first-rounder C.J. Henderson on the roster.

Raiders To Cut Nevin Lawson

September 20th, 2021 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders will release cornerback Nevin Lawson today in order to fill other areas of need (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). If Lawson goes unclaimed, the Raiders will try to bring him back to the practice squad.

Lawson, who began his career with the Lions, joined up with the Raiders in 2019. He didn’t have the best debut year. If he had enough snaps to qualify, his 60.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus would have placed him somewhere around the No. 70 CB mark. Still, the Raiders stuck with him and got better results in 2020. Last year, he started in nine of his 14 games and registered 61 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and one sack.

The 30-year-old was gearing up to return in Week 3, following his two-game suspension. Rather than activating him, they’ll pad out the rest of their badly-bruised roster. In recent days, the Raiders have watched guard Denzelle Good, running back Josh Jacobs, quarterback Marcus Mariota, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, and other key players head to the trainer’s room.

The Raiders, without Lawson, will try to stay undefeated on Sunday when they face the Dolphins in Vegas.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Sutton, Chubb

June 19th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Raiders selected Damon Arnette 19th overall last year, it marked the second straight year the Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock regime stunned draft viewers in Round 1. Despite multiple thumb issues and a placement on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list, Arnette started seven games as a rookie. Pro Football Focus graded Arnette as a bottom-10 cornerback, however, and the Raiders may not have the Ohio State product in their lineup plans this year. Arnette has nearly drifted off the Raiders’ radar, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes, adding that Casey Hayward is expected to line up as Las Vegas’ outside corner starter opposite Trayvon Mullen (subscription required). While a few lower-profile corners’ names surfaced during Raiders minicamp this week, Arnette’s was conspicuously absent, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal adds. Talk surfaced last month of Arnette moving into the slot, but Tafur adds that job looks like Nevin Lawson‘s to lose. Arnette did not practice in the slot during minicamp.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

Yannick Ngakoue is in search of a new agent. The recently signed Raiders defensive end left the Wasserman agency this week, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen (on Twitter). This is not a first for the former Jaguars, Vikings and Ravens pass rusher. He left his first NFL agent in May 2018 and made another change last August. Ngakoue’s next agent will be his fourth as a pro. Ngakoue signed a two-year, $26MM deal with the Raiders in March; that pact featured $21MM fully guaranteed.
Numerous key players missed extensive time for the Broncos last season, but the team received good news as it prepares for its next training camp. One of the biggest names to miss Denver’s 5-11 2020 slate, Courtland Sutton is not expected to start camp on the team’s active/PUP list, Vic Fangio said this week. The Pro Bowl wide receiver suffered an ACL tear in Week 2 of last season. Neither Sutton nor Bradley Chubb, who is rehabbing offseason ankle surgery, are likely to miss camp time, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Chubb needed bone spurs removed from his ankle.
Bashaud Breeland moved on from the Chiefs after two seasons, signing with the Vikings. But the veteran cornerback initially wanted to re-sign with the Chiefs.

NFL Suspends Raiders’ Nevin Lawson

April 2nd, 2021 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nevin Lawson re-signed with the Raiders late last month, but the veteran defender will not be available at the season’s outset. The NFL handed Lawson a two-game suspension on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This will mark the second straight season in which a suspension has sidelined Lawson. He received a one-game ban for an on-field infraction in 2020. This suspension is for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News tweets.

The Raiders brought back Lawson on a one-year, $1.1MM deal. Should he reside on the team’s 53-man roster once his suspension ends, this will be the soon-to-be 30-year-old cornerback’s third season with the Silver and Black.

A former Lions draftee who played five years in Detroit, Lawson has become a key Raiders cog during much of Jon Gruden‘s second stay with the franchise. He started nine games last season, making a career-high 61 tackles, and five in 2019.

Raiders Sign Nevin Lawson To Extension

January 23rd, 2020 at 12:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have signed cornerback Nevin Lawson to a one-year extension, worth $3.29MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new deal will keep him in the fold through the 2020 season, allowing him to build off of a solid second half in which he joined the starting lineup.

Lawson was originally drafted by the Lions in the fourth round back in 2014. He spent the first five years of his career there, and became a full-time starter in Detroit for the last three. The Utah State product has started 50 games over the past four years and is still only 28, so he still offers upside.

Earlier this month, Lawson was hit with a one-game suspension for using his helmet as a weapon in the season finale against the Broncos. Therefore, he won’t be on the field when the Raiders play their first game as the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.

Last year, Lawson earned a subpar 60.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus. He didn’t have enough snaps (301) to qualify for a ranking at his position, but in larger sample size, that would have placed him somewhere around the No. 70 CB in the NFL.

Nevin Lawson Suspended One Game

January 3rd, 2020 at 5:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Myles Garrett is no longer the only player to be suspended for using his helmet as a weapon this season. Raiders cornerback Nevin Lawson has been suspended one game for wielding a helmet during Oakland’s Week 17 loss to Denver, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Since the Raiders aren’t in the playoffs, Lawson will have to sit out the first game of the 2020 season. Lawson was already suspended four games at the beginning of the season for taking a banned substance. He ended up appearing in 11 games for Oakland, making five starts. He signed a one-year deal worth just over $3MM with the Raiders back in March, so he’ll be a free agent again this spring.

Lawson was originally drafted by the Lions in the fourth round back in 2014. He spent the first five years of his career there, and became a full-time starter in Detroit for the last three. The Utah State product has started 50 games over the past four years and is still only 28, so even with the suspension he should draw some mild interest on the open market.

Bay Area Notes: Witherspoon, Lee, Verrett, Joyner

November 11th, 2019 at 6:38pm CST by Marc Delucchi

49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was expected to be active for Monday Night’s contest against the Seahawks for the first time since Week 3. However, Witherspoon remained on the team’s inactive list. According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, Witherspoon feels 100%, but he did not get to participate in a full practice this week. Thus, the team plans to give him a full week of practice before rejoining the starting lineup next week against the Cardinals.

Rookie undrafted free agent Emmanuel Mosley has been fantastic in place of Witherspoon and surely made the decision to play it safe with Witherspoon easier. At 8-0, San Francisco has a fantastic opportunity to put themselves in the driver’s seat for the number one seed in the NFC with a win tonight.

Here’s more from around the Bay Area:

Raiders linebacker Marquel Lee has rejoined the team’s practices, according to Howard Balzer. Lee was placed on injured reserve in September with an ankle injury, however, the team designated him for a possible return. Balzer’s report signals the beginning of a 21-day practice period for Lee to practice with the team before Oakland must decide to reactivate him or leave him on IR for the rest of the season.
Cornerback Jason Verrett was among the 49ers on the field for warm-ups on Monday Night before their matchup with Seattle, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. While normally a player warming up before a game wouldn’t be newsworthy, Verrett is currently on the injured reserve with a designation to potentially return later in the season. Per Barrows, he has not been on the field since his injury two months ago. Since Verrett is not eligible to return until December 1, it is a very good sign for the team to see him making progress.
Jon Gruden told reporters that Raiders slot cornerback Lamarcus Joyner is questionable with a hamstring injury, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. Gruden went on to say that Nevin Lawson will get the first opportunity to replace Joyner. Rookie fourth round pick Isaiah Johnson, recently activated from the injured reserve, will get an opportunity to receive snaps at the outside cornerback position and possibly move veteran Daryl Worley inside to the slot as well, per Bair.

Raiders Activate CB Nevin Lawson

October 7th, 2019 at 8:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Nevin Lawson should be set to make his Raiders debut on Sunday. The team activated the veteran defensive back from the exempt list today. Lawson was reinstated from his suspension last week.

The 28-year-old spent the first five seasons of his career with the Lions, and he appeared in at least 15 games per season between 2015 and 2018. During his final season in Detroit, Lawson finished with 53 tackles, one sack, and five passes defended.

The cornerback joined the Raiders on a one-year deal in March, and he was later hit with a four-game suspension for taking a banned substance. Lawson later said he tested positive for Ostarine, although he denied ever taking it.

The Raiders are currently only rostering four cornerbacks in Gareon Conley, Lamarcus Joyner, Keisean Nixon, and Curtis Riley. Assuming Nelson gets playing time, he’ll have a chance to snag his first interception in more than 3,000 career snaps.

In a related move, the Raiders waived offensive lineman Lester Cotton.

Raiders’ Nevin Lawson Suspended 4 Games

August 5th, 2019 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Raiders veteran Nevin Lawson has been slapped with a four-game suspension, the cornerback announced on Twitter.

“Despite being very cautious about what I put into my body, I discovered that a test determined that I ingested something that is on the NFL’s banned substance list,” Lawson said in the statement. “Specifically, the substance is Ostarine, which I have never knowingly taken.

“Unfortunately, it does not matter, as I am responsible for knowing every single ingredient that goes into my body, and I apparently failed in this regard. This disappointing and temporary setback says nothing about my constant drive and daily commitment to be a better player and human being, a priority of mine which will continue for the rest of my life.”

The 2014 fourth-round pick out of Utah State spent the first five seasons of his career with the Lions, including a 2018 campaign where he finished with 53 tackles, one sack, and five passes defended. The 28-year-old averaged 15 starts per season between 2016 and 2018, but he hasn’t snagged a single interception in more than 3,000 career snaps.

Detroit determined that they couldn’t stomach his salary, and he was cut by the team back in March. He quickly caught on with the Raiders, where he’s expected to play a reserve role behind Daryl Worley and Gareon Conley. Lawson has the ability to play both outside cornerback and in the slot, so there should be a role for him when he returns from his suspension.