Now that the Las Vegas Raiders have one preseason game in the books, a 23-23 tie against the Seattle Seahawks, let’s revisit the 53-man roster projection with information gained in last Thursday’s contest and training camp. The Raiders have also made a handful of additions and subtractions since the last projection, creating an extra element to the latest edition.
As a reminder from last time:
For simplicity, it’s assumed that 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and three specialists will make
ADthe roster in this exercise. That also can change as training camp goes on, as the coaching staff may decide to keep a different number of players at each position than what’s listed below.
To account for that, any player who has a star (*) next to their name means their status could change based on how many roster spots the coaching staff is allocating to that position. In other words, a ‘backup’ with a star is a ‘cut’ projection if the Raiders keep one fewer player than what’s listed below and vice versa.
Quarterback (3)
Previously:
Starter: Geno Smith
Backups: Aidan O’Connell, Cam Miller*
Cut: no one
Updated:
Starter: Geno Smith
Backups: Aidan O’Connell*, Cam Miller
Cut: no one
The change here is subtle, shifting the asterisk from Miller to O’Connell, as there’s no denying who the better quarterback was in Seattle. Still, it makes the most sense for the coaching staff to keep three QBs on the roster, but O’Connell could become expendable if the rookie continues to outplay him.
Running Back (4)
Previously:
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Raheem Mostert, Sincere McCormick, Dylan Laube*
Cut: Zamir White, Chris Collier
Updated:
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Raheem Mostert, Zamir White*, Sincere McCormick
Cut: Dylan Laube, Chris Collier
The big change here is flipping White and Laube, as the coaching staff seems to like what they’ve seen from White so far. However, Laube had an impressive outing in Seattle by showing up in the passing game and rushing attack offensively, in addition to making a nice tackle on special teams. That adds some intrigue to the running back room.
Wide Receiver (6)
Previously:
Starters: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Dont’e Thornton Jr.
Backups: Jack Bech, Tommy Mellott, Collin Johnson*
Cut: Alex Bachman*, Shedrick Jackson, Phillip Dorsett, Ketron Jackson Jr., Kyle Philips, Seth Williams
Updated:
Starters: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Dont’e Thornton Jr.
Backups: Jack Bech, Tommy Mellott, Shedrick Jackson*
Cut: Alex Bachman*, Collin Johnson, Justin Shorter, Phillip Dorsett, Marquez Callaway, Ketron Jackson Jr.
Already cut: Seth Williams, Kyle Philips, Kawaan Baker
Wide receiver is one of the position groups that has already seen a handful of changes, including moving tight end Justin Shorter back to his natural position. Granted, most of the moves the front office has made shouldn’t impact the 53-man roster much. The hot name out wide right now is Jackson, who was hands down the Raiders’ best receiver last Thursday.
Tight End (3)
Previously:
Starter: Brock Bowers
Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut: Justin Shorter*, Qadir Ismail, Carter Runyon, Pat Conroy
Updated:
Starter: Brock Bowers
Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut: Qadir Ismail, Carter Runyon, Albert Okwuegbunam*
Already Cut: Pat Conroy
It’s hard to see much drama going on at tight end this year, as the top three seem to be pretty set in stone. If the coaching staff opts to keep four, then things could get interesting. For what it’s worth, Runyon took the most snaps on Thursday, but Okwuegbunam was recently added to the roster. The snap breakdown this Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers will be more noteworthy.
Offensive Line (9)
Previously:
Starters: Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Alex Cappa, DJ Glaze
Backups: Thayer Munford Jr., Jordan Meredith, Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant
Cut: Will Putnam*, Jarrod Hufford, Dalton Wagner, Gottlieb Ayedze, Parker Clements, Laki Tasi (IPP), Atonio Mafi
Updated:
Starters: Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, Jordan Meredith, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze
Backups: Thayer Munford Jr., Alex Cappa, Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant
Cut: Will Putnam*, Jarrod Hufford, Dalton Wagner, Gottlieb Ayedze, Parker Clements, Laki Tasi (IPP), Atonio Mafi
Everyone is still trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Powers-Johnson, but the nine offensive linemen who will make the team are hard to argue with. However, a surprise trade of JPJ could mix things up. That isn’t to say one is coming, or even rumored to be on the table, but it does feel like this coaching staff isn’t sold on the Oregon product.
Defensive End (4)
Previously:
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Backups: Tyree Wilson, Jah Joyner
Cut: Charles Snowden*, Andre Carter II, Ovie Oghoufo, Jahfari Harvey
Updated:
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Backups: Tyree Wilson, Jah Joyner
Cut: Charles Snowden*, Andre Carter II, Ovie Oghoufo, Jahfari Harvey
Las Vegas has a problem when it comes to edge depth, as the fourth spot is up for grabs. Also, Joyner, Snowden, Carter, Oghoufo and Harvey all earned grades from Pro Football Focus below 60 in Seattle. Somebody needs to step up and take command of the position battle, soon.
Defensive Tackles (5)
Previously:
Starters: Christian Wilkins (currently on PUP), Adam Butler
Backups: Leki Fotu*, Zach Carter, Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues
Cut: Jonah Laulu, Treven Ma’ae, Tank Booker
Updated:
Starters: Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu
Backups: Zach Carter, Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues, Thomas Booker IV*
Cut: Keondre Coburn, Tank Booker, Leki Fotu*, Treven Ma’ae
Already Cut: Christian Wilkins
Defensive tackle became a wideopen competition with the Wilkins situation, and Fotu’s recent injury heats the battle at the bottom of the depth chart up even more. Laulu has been drawing plenty of praise and is now an expected starter, while Pegues showed some promise at nose tackle against the Seahawks. This competition is far from over though as the interior defensive line will be worth watching all preseason.
Linebacker (6)
Previously:
Starters: Germaine Pratt, Elandon Roberts
Backups: Devin White, Amari Gainer, Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg
Cut: Jaylon Smith*, Michael Barrett, Matt Jones
Updated:
Starters: Germaine Pratt, Elandon Roberts
Backups: Devin White, Jamal Adams, Tommy Eichenberg, Cody Lindenberg
Cut: Amari Gainer*, Jaylon Smith, Michael Barrett, Matt Jones
For what it’s worth, Adams was the Raiders best linebacker in the first preseason game and, agruably, the team’s best defender. That could help him push for a starting spot. Meanwhile, Gainer only got four snaps last Thursday, which could mean the new regime isn’t as high on last season’s preseason MVP.
Cornerback (5)
Previously:
Starters: Darien Porter, Eric Stokes
Backups: Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, Darnay Holmes
Cut: Kyu Blu Kelly, Greedy Vance*, Sam Webb, John Humphrey, JT Woods
Updated:
Starters: Darien Porter, Eric Stokes
Backups: Decamerion Richardson, Darnay Holmes, Kyu Blu Kelly
Cut: Greedy Vance*, Sam Webb, John Humphrey, JT Woods
Already Cut/Traded: Jakorian Bennett
Kelly had an outsanding performance in Seattle which, combined with Bennett’s departure, is enough to bump him up onto the roster. It helps that he can play nickel or on the outside. On a similar note, don’t sleep on Vance earning a spot over Holmes.
Safety (5)
Previously:
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Thomas Harper (nickel)
Backups: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Jamal Adams*
Cut: Trey Taylor, Chris Smith II, Hudson Clark
Update:
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Thomas Harper (nickel)
Backups: Lonnie Johnson Jr.* (injured), Chris Smith II
Cut: Terrell Edmunds*, Trey Taylor, Hudson Clark
Johnson suffered a broken fibula, which could make him a candidate to start the season on the PUP list, opening up a roster spot at safety. That’s where Edmunds comes in, who was signed on Sunday. Either way, the Raiders’ defense lacks depth on the backend and need one of the guys to step up.
Specialists (3)
Kicker: Daniel Carlson
Punter: A.J. Cole III
Long snapper: Jacob Bobenmoyer
This was an omission from the first edition (whoops!), but there isn’t any drama here with only three specialists on the roster. In other words, you can just skip this section moving forward.
