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The Raiders placed linebacker Sio Moore on season-ending injured reserve with a hip injury.
He’d been playing through the injury, but had a setback that forced the Raiders to rule him out of Sunday’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs. That prompted Tuesday’s transaction.
It cuts a strong season short. Moore flourished in a new role as weakside linebacker, piling up 90 tackles, three sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble in 11 games. He missed Weeks 4-6 with an ankle injury.
Expect Ray-Ray Armstrong to start for Moore over the final two games, as he did Sunday against Kansas City. The Raiders will move on with just four healthy linebackers. Armstrong, Miles Burris and Khalil Mack will start. Bojay Filimoeatu is the lone reserve.
Moore will be missed by a defense that fed of his energy and passion. Coaches praised improved reads and reaction time, which helped him play faster and make a bigger impact.
Moore also established himself as a fan favorite this season, combining solid play with crowd-friendly antics.
He was forefront in a pair of nationally-recognized incidents. He participated in an elongated, elaborate sack dance in a Week 12 victory over Kansas City while the Chiefs were in a hurry-up offense. He also got into it with Colin Kaepernick, and called the 49ers quarterback a “chump” in an Instagram post.
[RELATED: Moore calls Kaepernick 'freakin' chump']
In the long term, Moore's season will be recalled as a period of great progress for the second-year pro, still working into his prime. The Raiders like Moore’s passion and talent and believe he will be a cornerstone in the coming years as this franchise attempts to improve its lot.
In a corresponding move, the Raiders signed defensive back Chance Casey off the 49ers practice squad.
The Raiders signed Casey last year as an undrafted free agent, and was on the practice squad during most of the 2013 regular season. He was promoted to the 53-man roster in December and was active for the season finale versus Denver.
