In a bit of a surprise, the Oakland Raiders cut safety Jonathan Dowling on Saturday.
Dowling, a seventh-round pick last year was not considered a sure thing to make the 53-man roster, but he was expected to be cut this early. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the team was concerned about Dowling’s maturity. Dowling, who had an interception last week at Minnesota, had issues in college. He was dismissed from the Florida program in 2010.
The Raiders are thin in the secondary. One option at safety could be Stevie Brown, who was originally a Raider in 2011. Houston cut Brown on Friday. The Raiders were connected to Brown in free agency this year. Brown has a workout setup with the New York Giants, whom he last played for, early next week.
The roster must be trimmed to 75 players Tuesday and then down to the 53-man roster by Saturday. Oakland now has 88 players on the roster.
In other Raiders’ notes:
• The contract safety Taylor Mays signed this week is a one year, $745,000 deal with no bonuses or guarantees. May is not a sure thing to make the 53-man roster.
• Rookie tight end Clive Walford (hamstring) and starting defensive end Justin Tuck (undisclosed) did not practice once again Friday. Do not expect either one to play Sunday against Arizona.
• Oakland waived offensive tackle Quinterrius Eatmon.
