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The offensive tackle position might be a point of emphasis for the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.
With team captain, Kolton Miller, missing four games with the first serious injury of his career this past season and offensive tackles Jermaine Eluemunor and Brandon Parker being free agents, it could end up being very critical that Las Vegas develops a future plan for that position group.
This means that Raiders veteran offensive tackle DJ Fluker's role could expand as well. Fluker, who was signed to the practice squad in December, has not played in an NFL game since 2020, but there's reason to believe a comeback could be in his future.
The 32-year-old lineman was drafted by the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco's first year as the Chargers' GM. Fluker made 59 starts during his four years in San Diego.
While it's been over 10 years since Telesco and the Chargers' organization first drafted Fluker, Telesco does know the veteran's capabilities as well as anyone. Should Fluker prove he still has what it takes to have an impact in this league, there could very well be a spot for him on the roster at the end of training camp. Then again, that still depends on what the offensive tackle room looks like by that time.
Fluker was one of the first 15 players to be signed by the Raiders to reserve/future contracts earlier this month. He is currently on a one-year contract worth $1,210,000.
Fluker's last active season was in 2020-21 when he made eight starts in 16 appearances for the Baltimore Ravens. In between that season and his time with the Chargers, he had a one-year stint with the New York Giants and a two-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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The 'NFL all-time rushing leaders' quiz
The Baltimore Ravens got off to a slow start to the 2025 NFL season, but their dominant ‘Thursday Night Football,’ performance against the Miami Dolphins is more what Ravens fans were expecting. Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in his return from injury, while Derrick Henry posted his third 100-rushing-yard effort of the season and second in three games. The performance put Henry at 12,052 rushing yards in his career, making him just the eighth player in NFL history with at least 12,000 yards and 100 rushing touchdowns. Remarkably, this was the first game this season Henry has gone over 100 yards in a Ravens win. Which brings us to today’s quiz. Henry ranks 17th all-time in rushing yards in NFL history. With that being said, how many of the players to rush for at least 10,000 yards in their career can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Charles Barkley knows the real problem with LeBron James
LeBron James may be out due to sciatica, but Charles Barkley is not buying it. He thinks he knows what is really going on with the Los Angeles Lakers star. Barkley was goofing around during “Inside the NBA” on ESPN Wednesday and talked about the Lakers, who had several players out for their game at the Minnesota Timberwolves. James was listed as out due to sciatica, which is a nerve issue. Barkley thinks the sciatica injury is a cover for something else. “First of all, LeBron doesn’t have a sciatica. They just put ‘old.’ O-L-D, with an extra ‘D,’ too,” Barkley joked. An update on James’ condition came out this week, saying that the Lakers forward could return in a few weeks. The Lakers have seemed to suggest that there is no urgency to rush James into action. However, Luka Doncic also getting hurt recently may have changed things for the team. For now, the Lakers are 3-2 and have been relying on Austin Reaves to do plenty of scoring. He is averaging 34.2 points per game this season. James is 40 years old and entering his 23rd NBA season. He’s allowed to have “old” or sciatica as an injury issue. As Barkley knows and often says, Father Time is undefeated.
Steelers, Jaylen Waddle Trade Window May Have Reopened
The Pittsburgh Steelers want a wide receiver. They thought about the addition of Marques Valdes-Scantling, only to leave the door open for a bigger name. With days remaining before the trade deadline, there are a few, but one may have just reopened that could top their list. The Miami Dolphins have mutually parted ways with long-time general manager Chris Grier after 25 years of working in the position. The team sits at 2-7 and may be nearing the end of head coach Mike McDaniels as well, which could lead to significant changes being made everywhere, including the wide receiver position. Steelers Could Go After Jaylen Waddle The Steelers have reported interest in Jaylen Waddle. According to NFL insider Tony Pauline, the team has Waddle and Tennessee Titans' Calvin Ridley circled, with the Dolphins' firing becoming an interesting turn in the possible outcome at the deadline. "The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for another wide receiver and have been inquiring about players available at the position," Pauline wrote. "Two names I am hearing as trade targets are Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins and Calvin Ridley of the Tennessee Titans." Up until this point, the Dolphins have made it known that they were not open to a trade at the deadline. That likely changes with a change at general manager, and the move signals a bigger rebuild in the making. At 26 years old and a former first-round pick, he is likely their player with the highest price tag, but could also be their easiest to trade. Several teams are looking for a wideout, including the Steelers. What might give Pittsburgh the advantage is that they've been willing to make some splash moves this season. What Would Steelers-Dolphins Trade Look Like? Waddle already has three 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL, and is on pace to add another in 2025. With 586 yards and four touchdowns, he'd lead the Steelers in yards by 125 yards over DK Metcalf. He'd be second on the team in receiving touchdowns. The Steelers would need to give up a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to open the conversation for Waddle. The Dolphins would be foolish not to push for a second or third round selection for a young wideout who's been producing. The Steelers shouldn't budge, though. Giving themselves a young wideout to finalize their room for the future is precisely what they need. Waddle is easily their best option, and therefore, they should hope the door has reopened and be willing to make another splash to land him.
Steelers' Massive Communication Issues Point Directly To 2 Men
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had constant issues with the defense, but the single biggest one is the miscommunication. That has been an issue for at least two seasons now, and possibly more. That should most likely be priority number one for the team, as that could potentially solve some of the issues with the secondary and linebackers. Once that gets fixed, then it will be easier to see which players are at fault for their on-field performance, as there are currently no answers for what is going on each week. While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, insider Ray Fittipaldo explained where all the blame goes for the miscommunications in this scenario. "It's been going on for years," Fittipaldo said. "A lot of people said, 'Oh, Minkah [Fitzpatrick]'s the problem.' Minkah's not here; Minkah's not the problem. 'Oh, Cam Sutton's the problem last year.' Cam Sutton's not here. Every team has some problems relaying the signals, but it's an ongoing issue here. Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin are the coaches. They're the ones that need to accept the full blame here, but I'm sure it's on the players too." Sure, the players are part of the question, but like Fittipaldo said, the ones that run this unit need to take some blame and they need to be the first ones to take action to finally stop this problem for good. Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin combine to do most things for this unit, so they need to be more accountable in the eyes of many fans. Tomlin's defense is known to be one of the more difficult ones to learn in the NFL, especially for newcomers. When the Steelers overhauled their defense in 2025, they had to teach so many players his complicated schemes in a very short period of time, and it has not worked well. His unit needs more stability for this defense to have any chance of working. Meanwhile, Austin has not done particularly well with calling this complicated gameplan, and he knows it. The problem is that he's not calling his defense, so it's a bit harder for him to adjust on the fly when he has to stay within his head coach's scheme and guidelines. Even if it's difficult, he still has to do it. He needs to find some way to make life easier on his players and get them in the right spots. That's a coordinator's job. Unfortunately, the Steelers made their defense even older from a player age perspective, so the most likely scenario is that everything gets overhauled again in the near future. On top of that, Austin's contract expires at season's end. With how bad his unit has been, he may be let go. If all that truly does happen and the miscommunications remain, it becomes even more obvious that Tomlin is the main issue here. Austin has not been great either, but he is merely a symptom of the problem, not the primary cause. There is not a Minkah Fitzpatrick to trade away anymore. There's just a bunch of veterans that could get cut and/or retire at season's end. Steelers Fixed One Communication Issue, But It's Not Enough So far, it seems like linebacker Patrick Queen has been much better at barking out the signals to his teammates on the field. He struggled to pick up on the plays in his first season in Pittsburgh, and it ended in disaster. Obviously, there are more issues with miscommunications, but Queen is not part of it anymore. He has done his job well so far.
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