



The Oakland Raiders appear to be looking for help on the defensive side of the ball after reportedly hosting three players for workouts this week.

According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, the Raiders worked out safety Dezmen Southward, defensive end Josh Boyd and linebacker Ron Thompson.

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Southward is a former third-round draft pick out of Wisconsin and played in 19 games (zero starts) over the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Boyd was a fifth-round pick out of Mississippi State who played in 26 games (four starts) over the past three seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Thompson has never played a regular-season snap in the NFL.

There have not been any reports about the Raiders signing any of these players, but just the fact that they were brought in for recent a recent workout says a lot about where Oakland's defense is in Week 14.

The Raiders have concerns at all three levels of the defense, and that's probably why they brought in a defensive lineman, a linebacker and a safety this week. They are thin along the defensive line with Stacy McGee (ankle, out) and Darius Latham (ankle, questionable) both injured. Linebacker Shilique Calhoun (knee, out) and Cory James (shoulder, questionable) are hurt, too, leaving undrafted rookie James Cowser as the only healthy reserve for Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin. The depth at safety is also being tested with Karl Joseph ruled out for Thursday's game against the Chiefs due to a toe injury suffered last weekend.

It seems as though the Raiders are in trouble on defense, but they're unlikely to find any help from the guys they're bringing in for workouts off the street.

Follow Kevin Boilard on Twitter: @247KevinBoilard