Raiders sign another running back, bring back linebacker

The Raiders added a linebacker and a running back a day before taking the field for their first preseason game against the 49ers on Sunday.

Running back Darwin Thompson, a former sixth-round pick of the Chiefs who won a Super Bowl in Kansas City, has been brought in to add depth to a backfield dealing with some injuries and still missing star Josh Jacobs.

Thompson’s signing comes a day after the Raiders signed Damien Williams, another running back who won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs.

Thompson ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 64 carries and added 16 catches for 108 yards and a score in 26 games with the Chiefs in 2019 and 2020, but has not appeared in a regular-season game since then.

His best game came in Week 17 of the 2020 season when he had 110 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Chargers.

The 26-year-old Utah State product has spent time on the practice squads of the Buccaneers and Seahawks over the past two seasons, with a brief return to Kansas City’s practice squad in between.

Linebacker Kana’i Mauga was also brought back Saturday with the team moving on from the injured Darius Harris less than two weeks after signing him.

Mauga finished last season on the Raiders’ practice squad and spent much of the offseason with the team, but was released when Harris was signed Aug. 1.

Mauga first signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Southern California in 2022 and has not appeared in a regular-season game.

In addition to Harris, wide receiver and returner D.J. Turner was also released.

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