The Raiders announced they cut offensive lineman Evan Neal from their practice squad Monday.
The departure ends the former top-10 pick’s stint in Las Vegas, where he didn’t appear in a game. His last NFL snaps came in 2024.
The Raiders brought in offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard to the practice squad in place of Neal.
Neal’s path to Vegas began when the Giants released the fourth-year guard in August. The Raiders picked up the 6-foot-7, 340-pound lineman shortly after.
Big Blue drafted Neal seventh overall out of Alabama in 2022, with the lineman expected to be one of the cornerstone pieces in the trenches alongside fellow first-round pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Neal, 26, was a highly touted tackle prospect, being praised for his agility and explosiveness at his size. The former first-team All-American with the Crimson Tide only allowed five sacks throughout his 40 career starts in Tuscaloosa.
The Giants hoped they finally found the right young pass blocker to line up opposite of now All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas. A blueprint for anchoring an offensive line that had been a revolving door and suffered endless inability to protect the quarterback over several seasons at that point.
Neal went through a lot of trials and tribulations with Big Blue, starting at tackle before moving inside to guard. He didn’t see the field at all last season.
Neal didn’t properly adjust to the speed of the NFL, allowing eight sacks in his rookie season. His second year in the league was cut short due to an ankle injury.
During his four years with the Giants, Neal compiled a 48.3 overall PFF grade and an abysmal 41.0 pass-blocking grade. He left New York with 29 games played and 27 starts.
Kight reunites with Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, as the 25-year-old played under him while he was the offensive coordinator for the defending champion Seahawks.
Kinnard, who also entered the NFL in 2022 as a fifth-round pick, is a journeyman who spent time with the Green Bay Packers last season and started four games.
