The Oakland Raiders announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have claimed former Saints linebacker Martez Wilson off waivers via the team’s Twitter account (@Raiders):
The linebacker was a third round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Illinois. In his Junior year (also his final year) in college, Wilson was named as a member of the First Team All Big Ten. Interestingly enough, Martez ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a linebacker at the 2011 combine, so I bet Al Davis would’ve approved of this addition.
Despite his impressive athleticism though, Wilson saw his playing time vanish this year as he didn’t quite fit in Rob Ryan’s defense in New Orleans. In three years in the NFL, Wilson has racked up five sacks, 33 tackles, and also forced a fumble.The Raiders could definitely put his speed to use as a pass rusher, since the team is currently lacking in that department. But at the very least, he could be a nice piece in special teams alongside Taiwan Jones.
As a corresponding move, the Raiders waived DT Christo Bilukidi. Bliukidi was drafted by the Raiders in the 6th round just a year ago, but he hardly made an impact in the silver and black. In 18 career games, he accounted for just 13 tackles and one sack. Recently, he had lost playing time to Brian Sanford.
