Former South Carolina standout defensive back signs with Oakland Raiders
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
After a brief stint with the Arizona Cardinals ended with his release on Sep. 30, D.J. Swearinger has signed a deal with the Oakland Raiders following a tryout with the team, as first reported by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
Swearinger spent a pair of seasons with the Houston Texans to begin his career in 2013 and 2014, recording 144 tackles before being released in the offseason. Following stops with the Cardinals, Buccaneers and Redskins, he re-signed with Arizona, starting 4 games and making 28 tackles before his release.
The move to acquire Swearinger stemmed from the status of starting safety Karl Joseph, who had an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of a foot injury sustained during the Raiders’ 26-24 win over the Chargers on Thursday. According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the organization feels that Joseph’s injury is “serious”, meaning that he could be out long-term.
Swearinger was a 2nd round pick by the Texans in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
