Report: Smith to jail for assault
Team confirms it cut DB, who reportedly will plea to year sentence
The Raiders released veteran cornerback Sean Smith, the team confirmed Monday afternoon after a source told the Bay Area News Group early Monday morning. Shortly after first reports of his release Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported Smith will plead guilty Tuesday to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury relating to an altercation last year in Pasadena. According to the L. A. Times, Smith will be sentenced to one year in jail and three years probation as part of his plea agreement.
Smith faced up to seven years in jail if convicted of all the charges against him.
Smith was set tomake $8.25 million in base salary in 2018,
and his release comes with no dead money against Oakland’s cap. Add on Smith’s 2018 workout bonus of $250,000, and the Raiders add $8.5 million to their $15.8 million in cap space.
Smith’s release was highly anticipated simply from a football perspective given his production last season not matching what the Raiders were set to pay him. Smith contributed to a lackluster Oakland secondary, and though he intercepted
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott twice in one game, was largely inconsistent on the year.
Still, given the Raiders’ subpar cornerbacks group, Smithwas probably the best one among themthe second half of the season.
His legal issues, on the other hand, are a whole other animal.
Smith’s release leaves even more uncertainty in the Raiders’ cornerback corps with only Gareon Conley, Antonio Hamilton and Dexter McDonald the safe bets to be back. Starter T. J. Carrie is set to hit unrestricted free agency on
Wednesday at 1 p.m. PDT, and time will tell if the Raiders think he’s worth bringing back.
Smith played in 14 games last season, starting eight, with two interceptions, four passes defended and 32 total tackles.
• The Raiderswill search for a new starting offensive lineman after releasing right tackle Marshall Newhouse on Monday afternoon.
Newhouse started all 14 games he played for Oakland last season and was shaky on an otherwise sturdy offensive line. At this year’s NFL Combine,
Jon Gruden expressed his desire for improvement on Newhouse’s side of the unit.
“We had some inconsistency at right tackle, obviously,” Gruden said. “Newhouse, he had some moments where he played well. He had some moments where he obviously struggled.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Newhouse allowed 38 quarterback pressures last season, 13 more than left tackle Donald Penn, 16 more than right guard Gabe Jackson, 21 more than left guard Kelechi Osemele and 35 more than center Rodney Hudson.
Newhouse was due a $1.55 million base salary and a $200,000 workout bonus in 2018. No dead money against the cap accompanies his release. Newhouse’s release is the second of the day, after Smith, that gives Oakland more cap space.
The Raiders have several options to replace Newhouse in the starting lineup. Do they go with David Sharpe, who started in place of Penn at left tackle when the veteran was injured late in the season? Do they take a tackle in the early rounds of the draft? Or do they shop for one in free agency?
We’ll see how Oakland patches up arguably its strongest unit after a season that didn’t match expectations set after a standout 2016, but a unit that wasn’t a significant disappointment either compared to the rest of the team.
• Oakland signed former Stanford and Ravens receiver/returner Griff Whalen. He’ll compete for a roster spot and challenge the returners in camp.
• The Raiders announced a new three-year deal for starting defensive tackle Justin Ellis, who was set to hit free agency on Wednesday.