Calhoun: Still a Duke, but No Longer a Raider
A couple of backups for the Oakland Raiders have been “waived/injured” according the team’s official website. WR Duke Calhoun and LB Mario Kurn, both of which were long shots to make the team were released by the team due to injuries.
It’s almost ironic that both injuries, which were almost identical in nature (knee) happened on the same day (Saturday 8/11), went on injured reserve together, and yesterday were waived/injured together.
The other irony of it is that neither player was expected to make the club barring injury to those ahead of them on the depth chart.
Calhoun, who came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2010 was brought in to add depth and competition to a receiving corps that already had plenty of both. With the emergence of rookies Rod Streater and Juron Criner, it made the Duke’s chances even more bleak in nature.
As difficult it was for Calhoun to make it, you can multiply that by 10 when talking about an undrafted free agent rookie. And that’s exactly what Kurn is/was. The big 6’2″ 240lb. linebacker out of San Diego State had a long, uphill battle trying to make the roster but it was one he was willing to take on. It is quite possible that his path to the NFL has been completely cut short. Such is the sad reality of this league when you have 90 people auditioning for 53 roster spots.
Loading ...
