Raiders release King, Walford; re-sign Nelson
The Oakland Raiders stunningly released punter Marquette King on Friday while re-signing safety Reggie Nelson and releasing tight end Clive Walford.
The Raiders formally announced the release of King, who reportedly showed up to the team facility earlier Friday and was pulled aside by general manager Reggie McKenzie and informed of the transaction, according to the NFL Network.
The move will save the Raiders $2.9 million against the salary cap, which is what King was scheduled to make in 2018.
King, who made $2.5 million in 2017, was entering the third year of a five-year, $16.5 million deal.
King averaged 46.8 yards in five full seasons as Oakland's punter. He placed 156 punts inside the 20-yard line against 33 touchbacks.
Meanwhile, Nelson is back for a third campaign after starting all 32 games over the past two regular seasons. He was second on the Raiders with 96 tackles last season and also had two forced fumbles and one interception.
Nelson has 36 career interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 170 games (157 starts) over 11 NFL campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals and Raiders. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, most recently for the Raiders in 2016.
Walford was a third-round pick by the Raiders in 2015. He caught 70 passes for 768 yards and six touchdowns in 44 games (10 starts).
Oakland also announced the signing of veteran cornerback Leon Hall on Friday morning. Hall has 27 interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) and six forced fumbles in 11 NFL season with the Bengals, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
--Field Level Media
