Raiders waive Simmons, sign Lopez

The Raiders signed DT Mauricio Lopez to their developmental roster on Jun 12 as part of the NFL International Practice Squad Program.

The 6-foot-1, 329-pound Lopez, a Mexico-city native, spent 2007 training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before that the 29-year old played three seasons in NFL Europa where he was a standout, spending the 2007 and 2006 campaigns with the Cologne Centurions. Lopez posted nine tackles and one sack in 2007. He appeared in one game for the Amsterdam Admirals in 2005.

A member of the Mexican National Team for three years, Lopez played college football at Monterrey Tech in Mexico, where he helped lead his school to the 2000 and 2003 Borregos Championships.

Overall, 16 of the best international football players from around the world will have an opportunity to play a role in the NFL this season as part the program.

More than 100 players from seven different countries competed at NFL International Player Development camps held in Europe and Asia in the past 12 months for the right to claim these coveted positions.

This year’s class brings the total number of participants to 38 since the program’s inception in 2004. One graduate of that initial class, Mexican guard Rolando Cantu, has already made his NFL debut, seeing action in the Arizona Cardinals’ regular-season finale against Indianapolis in 2005.

In another transaction, the Raiders placed LB Shane Simmons on waivers. Simmons was signed by Oakland in May as an undrafted free agent out of Western Washington.