The Las Vegas Raiders apparently weren't wooed nearly enough by rookie Woo Gardner. So they are releasing the rookie defensive back, per Aaron Wood of KRPC-TV.
But fear not, Gardner should get looks from other NFL teams after he gave a fine showing in the preseason.
"Governor is a 23-year-old cornerback who was an All-MVFC First Team honoree at Northern Iowa but went undrafted this year," wrote Darryn Albert of Larry Brown Sports. "After signing with the Raiders as a UDFA, Governor had a strong preseason, recording 10 combined tackles and producing some nice moments in coverage."
Woo's real first name is DeMarcus. But "Woo" is more likely to get him noticed by the media — even though that was not likely the nickname's intent. He is one of just seven players in Northern Iowa history to return two interceptions for touchdowns. He compiled four INTs and 123 tackles at UNI overall.
Like all NFL teams, Las Vegas needs to trim the roster from 90 players to the league limit of 53 by 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The Raiders are looking to bounce back from a 6-11 season. They open with a visit to the AFC West-rival Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8.
Along with Governor, they are releasing quarterback Nathan Peterman, as relayed by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
"Peterman, 30, signed with Las Vegas for his second stint with the club earlier this month after he was released by New Orleans. He completed 12-of-19 passes for 108 yards with one touchdown in preseason play," Simmons wrote. "In 15 career games, Peterman has completed 53 percent of his throws for 712 yards with four touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
"The Raiders will start Gardner Minshew at quarterback with Aidan O'Connell as the backup. The club also has undrafted rookie Carter Bradley on its roster at the position."
