Veteran defensive end Andre Carter to play for Oakland Raiders – NFL News
Oakland Raiders strengthened their pass rush with signing of veteran defensive end Andre Carter on a free agent contract on Wednesday, September, 26, 2012.
Carter, 33, is a vastly experienced player, having played for San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins and New England Patriots previously. This will be his 12th season in the league.
Raiders (1-2) previously took trials of Carter during the offseason training camp as well as in the starting few weeks of this season.
The defensive end got the Pro Bowl invitation last season for his outstanding performance, which saw him get 10.0 sacks along with 31 tackles in 14 games. He was unable to play in the final two games of the season due to a quadriceps injury.
His addition will greatly improve Raiders’ weak pass rush which has struggled so far in this season. According to the Associated Press, defensive tackle Richard Seymour said of Carter:
"I think he'll be instrumental. He's a proven guy in this league. Obviously, it will take some times to get his legs under him, but he's a guy that's shown he can rush the passer, and I think that will be essential for us."
It is also a welcome return for Carter to the league. He went through trials at St. Louis Rams as well as Arizona Cardinals before finally signing up with Raiders. Talking about his return, Carter said:
"It's always tough. It definitely gives you a different perspective. Here I am trying to train hard and work hard and just get better, and as the season continued to progressed and watching Sunday football on the couch... I just kept on continuing to be
patient, and in the end, it worked out well."
The defensive end has indicated that he is trying to learn the team’s defensive scheme and playbook as quick as possible while giving the stance that he will be ready to play in the Raiders’ Week 4 game against Denver Broncos.
Carter has played a total of 163 games in his career and has produced 76 sacks. He was drafted by 49ers as the seventh overall pick in 2001.
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