Silver and Black Report

At the SFGate web site, David White reported today that the Oakland Raiders released linebacker Malik Jackson and signed former Stanford cornerback Nick Sanchez.

 Per the article, Sanchez was expected to practice during today’s training camp session at the Napa facility.

 Sanchez is not expected to make a serious push for a roster spot, but the Silver & Black need some bodies in the secondary for pre-season action. With the arrival of Adam Archuleta – who will try to make his presence known as a linebacker – Jackson became disposable. And if Oakland does need to insert the former St. Louis Ram into the secondary due to Tyvon Branch’s injury and without risking any other casualties in the defensive backfield, they’ll be able to do so to get a better feel of how he functions in their scheme.

 This summer, Gibril Wilson, John Bowie, Michael Waddell, the recently released Greg Wesley, Jarrod Cooper, DeAngelo Hall and Nnamdi Asomugha have all missed time due to ailments.

 If Archuleta can gain the confidence of the coaches playing close to the line of scrimmage in run support and also give them a reliable back-up for their talented secondary, his versatility may be able to land him a job.

 In Jason Jones’ blog at Sacbee.com, Archuleta was quoted regarding his move to linebacker and making a squad at that position:

 ”It’s been in the back of my mind for a while,” Archuleta said. “I enjoy playing in the box and that’s what gets me jazzed so I decided I was going to try to make a run at linebacker.”

UPDATE — Per SB Report journalist DeMarcus Davis, Sanchez recorded an interception during 7-on-7 drills today in camp.