Raiders Cut Ties With Former Penn State DB

Raiders Cut Ties With Former Penn State DB originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Las Vegas Raiders failed to re-sign either starting linebacker from last year’s four-win team. Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo left the Silver and Black this offseason for the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.

To fill their spots, new general manager John Spytek added veterans Elandon Roberts, Devin White and Jaylon Smith. They also drafted Minnesota linebacker Cody Lindenberg during the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, the team felt that they needed to bolster the linebacker corps, so on Wednesday, they signed recently-released Germaine Pratt. He spent the last six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Former Las Vegas Raiders defensive back Jonathan Sutherland (28).Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Because the roster can only be a certain size, the Raiders were forced to make a corresponding move after signing Pratt. They chose to release defensive back Jonathan Sutherland, a Penn State product.

Sutherland joined the Raiders on May 11 after brief stints with the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks. He went undrafted in 2023 after a solid career with the Nittany Lions.

During his five-year career at Penn State, Sutherland recorded 137 total tackles, including nine for a loss. He also had 1.5 sacks, one interception and five passes defended.

At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Sutherland has been considered a bit of an in-between prospect. He played both linebacker and safety in college, but has largely been viewed as a defensive back in the NFL.

The Raiders lost starting safeties Tre’Von Moehrig and Marcus Epps in free agency this offseason, but they did add Jeremy Chinn in free agency and re-sign Isaiah Pola-Mao. They also kept Thomas Harper and added Lonnie Johnson Jr. into the mix.

These four players will compete with Chris Smith II and Trey Taylor, both late-round draft picks from the previous regime, for playing time under head coach Pete Carroll.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.

Raiders Cut Ties With Former Penn State DB

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