The Oakland Raiders released linebacker Edgerton Hartwell yesterday during the fading hours of training camp.

Hartwell, 30, was looking to grab a spot on a linebacker unit that has no clear-cut starters after standouts Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. The former Baltimore Raven and Atlanta Falcon has played only 13-games the last two years due to injuries to both knees and Achilles tendon.

In 2002, Hartwell became one of the better linebackers in the league, taking over in the middle for the then injured Ray Lewis and becoming a force versus the run.

Hartwell averaged well over 100 tackles per season as a Raven, but when he became a free agent, Atlanta lured him with a six-year contract totaling $26.25 million, which included an $8 million signing bonus. Injuries beset his career there and an attempt to revive his career in Cincinnati in 2007 with his former coach in Baltimore Marvin Lewis failed after they released him prior to even playing a single game for the Bengals.

Early in camp, he looked apprehensive working in a new system and never appeared sharp trying to regain his form of a few years back.

PAKULAK PUNTING FRIDAY FOR INJURED LECHLER

Before camp ended, the Raiders also announced the signing of punter Glenn Pakulak, due to the recent injury sustained by starter Shane Lechler.

Although not serious enough to jeopardize his chances of opening the season, Lechler could be sidelined up to 10 days with an aggravated quad muscle.

Aaron Elling will continue to handle the kickoff, field goal and extra point duties as Sebastian Janikowski was also ruled out for Friday’s pre-season game against the Tennessee Titans. 

DeAngelo Hall getting his hands on the football during drills

By Victor Cotto, S&B Report Staff Columnist

Does Edgerton Hartwell have a shot at making the final roster?

Nothing is guaranteed for Hartwell, and according to DeMarcus Davis, who attended recent mini-camps; the former Raven looked apprehensive during drills and has a lot of work to do to earn a roster spot.

Robert Thomas and Sam Williams look to be the favorites for the strong side linebacker position if Oakland decides to keep Kirk Morrison at middle linebacker and Thomas Howard on the weak side. Hartwell was once a good run stuffing linebacker, but that was during his days in Baltimore and after the Falcons lured him with six-year contract totaling $26.25 million, which included an $8 million signing bonus, his career has taken a dive due to injuries.

Who will be the starting center for the Oakland Raiders?

At this point, John Wade looks like the perfect fit at center for the Raiders after years of experimenting with Jake Grove and Jeremy Newberry’s one-year stint. He understands the concepts of Tom Cable’s blocking schemes and with 11-years of experience, his stability will only help JaMarcus Russell ease in to the starting role.

Oakland’s strength in 2008 will be the interior of their offensive line. Robert Gallery will look to settle in at left guard in his second year at that position, while Wade and Cooper Carlisle present a steadiness in the trenches.

Which tight ends have the best chance of getting the most playing time?

Zach Miller is the starter and already looks to be one of Russell’s favorite targets. But finding an edge blocker that can help in pass protection and run support is a goal for Lane Kiffin.

John Madsen, Chris Wagner and Darrel Strong have similar skill sets and are more adept as pass catchers than blockers. Madsen has reportedly worked on his blocking abilities all off-season and has looked better at that facet of the game in drills this spring.

Are there any weaknesses in the Silver & Black’s secondary?

Both starting cornerbacks can stay on an island and blanket-opposing receivers; so that will be fun to watch. But if there is a concern, it will have to be DeAngelo Hall’s eagerness to jump routes, pump fakes and be susceptible to the double move.

As for the back-end, Michael Huff has no excuses. He is back at his natural free-safety position where can roam freely, use his athleticism to attack the line of scrimmage or dissect passing situations. He also has the perfect complement at strong safety in Gibril Wilson. So his days of playing in the box and getting mauled by linemen and fullbacks are over.

Is Grant Irons going to be a contributor in 2008?

You can’t expect much of Irons after sitting out a full season. He is a strong football player, but not fluid enough to start at the pro level. Can he possible make the roster as a special team contributor and a reserve linebacker? Maybe. But he will have to beat out the likes of Ricky Brown, Isaiah Ekejiuba and Robert Thomas, all who played well in spurts on special teams and are more versatile than the lumbering Irons.

Oakland Raiders linebacker Sam Williams makes the stop

The Oakland Raiders overhauled their secondary and added some new talent along the defensive line during the off-season. But with the recent signing of Edgerton Hartwell, the Silver & Black hope that this under the radar transaction can pay large dividends on a unit that already features two of their best defenders.

With Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison firmly cemented as cornerstones on the defense, it is easy to overlook the third member of the linebacker group – the strong side linebacker – a position in which the likes of Sam Williams and Robert Thomas have attempted to lock down the past two-seasons.

The former Baltimore Raven and Atlanta Falcon has played only 13-games the last two years due to injuries to both knees and Achilles tendon. But during his years in Baltimore, Hartwell became one of the better linebackers in the league, taking over in 2002 in the middle for the then injured Ray Lewis and becoming a force versus the run.

Hartwell averaged well over 100 tackles per season as a Raven, but when he became a free agent, Atlanta lured him with a six-year contract totaling $26.25 million, which included an $8 million signing bonus. Injuries beset his career there and an attempt to revive his career in Cincinnati in 2007 with his former coach in Baltimore Marvin Lewis failed after they released him prior to even playing a single game for the Bengals.

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If healthy, Hartwell brings some interesting questions to the unit.

He is adept at playing inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, and the middle linebacker spot in a traditional 4-3 set. Lewis in Cincinnati flirted with the idea of playing him at weak side linebacker so he can maneuver around more freely towards the ball carrier in an attempt to boost a weak rush defense. But that spot in Oakland belongs to Howard, and with the amount of big plays they got from that position and his speed, the Raiders will likely have no intentions to experiment with Hartwell there.

On the strong side, Hartwell’s size and run stuffing abilities could help the Raiders in their biggest area of need.

Incumbents such as Williams and Thomas have shown that they are not capable of being full time starters on the strong side, as Oakland elected to go to many Nickel packages in recent years to masquerade problems on their defense.

But with stuffing the run being such a priority this off-season and the fact that they added so much cover ability to the secondary; the need for someone to step up at strong side linebacker became apparent.

In a perfect world, Hartwell would turn back the hands of time, take over in the middle, and then the Raiders can shift Morrison over to the strong side. Morrison showed he could handle playing in space last season – as often Rob Ryan dropped his linebackers deep into coverage – and he can move away from a spot where fullbacks and offensive lineman target him in an attempt to plow him out of plays.

But Hartwell is a few years removed from his prime and has an injury plagued background he must shed.

At 30, the low risk signing of Hartwell was a smart move for a team looking for ways to improve every aspect of a run defense that has been one of the worst in the NFL since 2003.

With minimal cap implications and the need for the depth there as well, it will be interesting to see what can they milk out of Hartwell.

One things for sure, Williams and Thomas will have more than themselves to look out for when training camp opens and the fight begins on who will start at linebacker with the up and comers, Howard and Morrison.