The Las Vegas Raiders, preparing to host the Dallas Cowboys for their second exhibition game, have made a notable roster addition.
General Manager Tom Telesco recently signed linebacker Jackson Mitchell, who had been released by the Carolina Panthers.
Mitchell, an undrafted free agent from UConn, has an impressive collegiate track record. As a senior, he led the Huskies with 113 tackles, including seven for loss, and also recorded one sack, a forced fumble, and an interception.
His performance earned him All-New England honors for the third consecutive year, along with invitations to prestigious events like the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Reflecting on the process of building the team, Telesco emphasized the emotional impact of these decisions on young players. He mentioned how receiving a call from the Raiders is a life-changing moment, offering them a chance to fulfill their dreams of playing professional football—a reality not lost on those newly signed to the team.
“Yeah, there were some pretty good ones today, Dylan Laube, Trey Taylor. Trey Taylor was just so thankful, M.J. [Devonshire] at the end. It’s pretty neat. It’s funny because when we do it, like with me, I’m making the call and I hate to say it but my mind’s already thinking to the next one, because you’re just kind of in this mode of just kind of keep working any you kind of forget that the kid on the other end of the phone that is getting this phone call its changing his life. He has a chance to be a professional football player, he knows what city he’s going to go to and it’s the Raiders, and what’s better than that to get a call from the Las Vegas Raiders. So, especially these kids today, there was a lot of emotions on the phone, but it’s a life changing journeys for these guys to be here. So yeah, sometimes – I hate to say it, we do this every year and it’s part of our job and we kind of lose track of that, but it was kind of cool to hear that from the guys today.”
