Raiders add Dave Tollefson to defensive side

Originally published on SBReport.net on April 7, 2012

Defensive lineman Dave Tollefson adds needed depth to the Raiders defensive line (Photo courtesy of ESPN.com)Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie continues to quietly build his roster with the little amount of money that he has.

McKenzie and the Raiders agreed to a two-year, $2.5 million contract with veteran defensive end Dave Tollefson, according to ESPN.

Tollefson was originally drafted by McKenzie and the Green Bay Packers in 2006, where he played for one season.

The signing marks the return of the Bay Area native Tollefson who is from Walnut Creek and played his high school ball at Ygnacio Valley High School and Los Medanos College before eventually ending up at Northwest Missouri State.

After spending one year with the Packers, Tollefson returned to the Bay to play on the Raiders practice squad but was eventually picked up by the New York Giants, where he spent his last five seasons.

Tollefson was primarily used as a situational pass rusher for the Giants but appeared in 63 regular season games and recorded 81 tackles to go along with 10 sacks and five forced fumbles.

Tollefson is coming off of a career-high five-sack season and will likely play a role similar to that of Jarvis Moss’ last season, coming in as a situational pass rusher.

The addition gives the Raiders more depth on their defensive line and some additional pass rushing ability after losing Moss, linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, and Trevor Scott, who signed with the New England Patriots earlier during the free agency period.

Tollefson garnered interest from the Packers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans when he hit free agency.