Raiders report: Team names 3 captains after near-unanimous vote

There were no surprises when Raiders players voted for team captains Thursday morning.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby, quarterback Geno Smith and punter AJ Cole were selected in near-unanimous fashion, according to coach Pete Carroll.

“I’m really proud to represent our club with those guys,” Carroll said.

Crosby has been a captain each year since 2021, while Cole has been one since 2022. Smith took on a leadership role right away after being acquired in a trade in March.

“We’re proud of those guys,” Carroll said. “They have been leading since the moment we got here and they’re exactly the right guys.”

New guy

The Raiders bolstered their secondary by claiming safety Tristin McCollum off waivers from the Eagles on Thursday.

McCollum, 26, appeared in 17 games for Philadelphia over the last two years. He was undrafted out of Sam Houston State in 2022 and spent his first season on the Texans’ practice squad. The Raiders waived safety Thomas Harper in a corresponding move.

McCollum played 14 games for the Eagles last year and had 33 tackles and two pass deflections. He made Philadelphia’s initial 53-man roster Tuesday, but was waived Wednesday.

McCollum is the second player the Raiders have claimed in as many days. They grabbed edge rusher Brennan Jackson from the Rams on Wednesday.

McCollum’s twin brother, Zyon, is a cornerback for the Buccaneers. Zyon McCollum was selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round of the 2022 draft when Raiders general manager John Spytek was in the team’s front office.

Tristin and Zyon McCollum’s father, Cory Carr, was drafted in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and played 42 games in the league for the Chicago Bulls.

The Raiders claimed Harper, 24, off waivers from the Chargers before the beginning of last season. He appeared in 15 games as a rookie last year and had 26 tackles and an interception.

Recruiting pitch

Carroll played a huge role in recruiting wide receiver Amari Cooper back to the Raiders.

Cooper, 31, signed a one-year deal with the team Monday. The Raiders picked him No. 4 overall in the 2015 draft. Cooper had 225 catches for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns in 52 games with the franchise before being traded to the Cowboys in 2018.

“He’s been a great player,” Carroll said. “He’s made a ton of big plays in big situations. It’s not beyond his scope to come up and make the clutch play at the right time. He’s big and strong, runs fantastic routes and has always been a playmaker.”

Carroll also believes Cooper’s presence can only help the development of young receivers like Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr.

“We thought the chance to add a guy like that with experience to help our young guys might suit us well,” Carroll said. “I hope this really balances us out well and I hope it really suits Jack and Dont’e.”

Sorting it out

Carroll indicated three of the four starting spots in the secondary are settled. Free-agent signing Eric Stokes will start at cornerback, with Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao behind him at safety.

The Raiders may rotate players in at the other corner spot in their opener against the Patriots on Sept. 7 and beyond.

“We’ve got really good competition and we’ll see how that works by the end of the week and we’ll keep it going,” Carroll said. “A number of guys will play in the game. You’ll see a lot of guys rolling through there.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.