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Oakland Raiders cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie abruptly retired Tuesday Youth Jay Novacek Jersey , two days after not playing a single snap on defense for the second time this season.The two-time Pro Bowl defensive back made the announcement on social media , not long after notifying team officials of his decision to call it quits after seven games with the Raiders."Just a shocker to see him gone because he was a great teammate and a great player for us," cornerback Rashaan Melvin said. "He showed us how to cherish the game and approach it the right way. He's always dancing, always rapping, always singing. Just showing his personality no matter what, through the ups and downs."Rodgers-Cromartie's retirement came hours before the NFL trade deadline, during which the Raiders were surprisingly quiet.Oakland had been one of the busiest teams over the past two months, acquiring three first-round picks in deals that sent pass-rush specialist Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears days before the season opener and wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys last week.There had been speculation the Raiders might be willing to make additional deals but the deadline passed without one. Outside of Rodgers-Cromartie retiring and the team activating James Cowser from the practice squad, Oakland made no other roster moves."We know who we have going forward and it's on us to go out there and execute and play well and try and stick around," quarterback Derek Carr said. "You want to make sure that you're around, what's the plan Jay Novacek Jersey Stitched , all those things. I think that was on a lot of guys' minds. Just knowing that that's almost over with and we're just playing ball, it's nice for our guys."The 16th-overall pick in 2008, Rodgers-Cromartie played for five teams during his 11-year career. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2009 with the Arizona Cardinals and again in 2015 with the New York Giants.The 32-year-old was signed by the Raiders just before the regular season to add experience to a secondary that was in the midst of an overhaul.Rodgers-Cromartie was on the field for 20 defensive plays in Week 1 but had been playing mostly on special teams since then. He did not play on defense during Sunday's 42-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts but took 22 snaps on special teams.Rodgers-Cromartie is the second NFL cornerback to retire since the start of the season. Vontae Davis of the Buffalo Bills stunned his teammates when he announced his decision at halftime of their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers."When something like that happens, I'd rather it happen that way than halftime of a game," Carr said. "I understand what he's doing, I understand why. Coach addressed it with us and he said, 'Text him, everyone show him love, congratulate him on a great career.' There's no hard feelings at all." A view of the Cowboys draft from the ESPN guys."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Dallas Cowboys NewsDallas Cowboys 2019 DraftCowboys draft grade from Mel Kiper, favorite pick from Todd McShayNew,184commentsA view of the Cowboys draft from the ESPN guys.CDTShareTweetShareShareCowboys draft grade from Mel Kiper Youth Michael Irvin Jersey , favorite pick from Todd McShayJerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsThe 2019 NFL draft is in the books. The Cowboys went into it with six picks and exited with eight thanks to consecutive trade downs that started in the fourth round. There was wide disagreement over the picks and strategy here at BTB, so it’s always good to take a look at what some outsiders thought. In this case, we’ll get a grade from Mel Kiper and a best pick from Todd McShay.Mel Kiper grade:While a B- grade might not seem bad, in the overall context of Kiper’s grading system, it’s not good. He gave out one A, four A-, six B+, nine B, five B- and seven C+. So the Cowboys ended up around the bottom third of the league Here is his evaluation.Let’s unpack this. First of all, I would take issue with his top needs. Defensive tackle and safety were certainly top needs, but wide receiver? You’ve got three quality starters and several capable backups. That makes me suspicious of the grade immediately.On the other hand Michael Irvin Jersey Stitched , many observers (including me), lamented the fact that the Cowboys came out of the draft without a top safety prospect. Trysten Hill may end up being a quality pick, and defensive tackle is certainly an area of need. It’s hard to ding the Cowboys too much here, but Juan Thornhill would have been my pick. Still, this is just a preference thing. The fact that the Cowboys had such a high grade on Connor McGovern precluded them from grabbing a safety in the third round. If you are a true believer in BPA, then you can’t argue against the McGovern pick since the Cowboys have said he was the highest-rated player by far left on their board. The fourth round is where things got sideways. With two picks (128 and 136) so close, it was all about the order of the players. The Cowboys went with Tony Pollard first and lost out on targets they had at 136. There’s a belief they could have waited on Pollard and still got him at 136 since he was projected to go lower than the fourth round. On the other hand, as we’ll see below, there are some who really like the Pollard pick. From that point, the Cowboys traded down and down, eventually grabbing a haul of players with final pick Jalen Jelks seeming to draw “steal” commentary from quite a few places.Now Youth Charles Haley Jersey , Todd McShay’s favorite pick for the Cowboys.Pollard was the pick that caused some of the controversy for the Cowboys. Could he have been taken at 136 instead of 128? This would have allowed the Cowboys to grab their rumored crushes, John Cominsky or Isaiah Johnson, and then circle back for Pollard.If Pollard does what he was drafted to do, we might not be worried about this in years to come. As has been mentioned, this is the “Kellen Moore” pick. Scott Linehan was notorious for talking a good game about using players in different potions and in different ways (see Tavon Austin from last year) only to resort to his tried-and-true scheme without trying much new. Everybody is hoping this will change under Kellen Moore. Pollard will be exhibit A if that happens. As noted, he is one of the most versatile players in the draft with the ability to be a running back or slot receiver and to play special teams. The Cowboys have been one of the few remaining “workhorse” running back teams that relies solely on one guy and really don’t utilize a variety of weapons from their running back corps. Elliott will still be the workhorse, he just too good not to be, but the hope is Moore can incorporate Pollard into the offense and freshen things up a bit.If that happens, then Pollard will justify his draft selection.