Last week gave us some new information when it comes to predicting the Las Vegas Raiders’ 53-man roster, with the Raiders taking on the Arizona Cardinals for their first preseason game. So, ahead of this week’s preseason bout against the Houston Texans, let’s make some updates to the previous prediction and see who is on the roster bubble.
Quarterback
Previously:
Starter: Kirk Cousins
Backups: Fernando Mendoza (R), Aidan O’Connell
Cut: Jacob Clark (R)
Updated:
Starter: Kirk Cousins
Backups: Fernando Mendoza (R)
Cut:
Aidan O’Connell, Jacob Clark (R)
I’m starting to sway toward the Raiders keeping just two quarterbacks. Mendoza looked comfortable enough in Klint Kubiak’s offense to at least begin the year as a backup and ease some concerns about him having to come off the bench if Cousins gets hurt. Also, O’Connell wasn’t exactly sharp against the Cardinals, completing just four out of 13 pass attempts.
To be fair, Pro Football Focus attributed four of the nine incompletions to drops, making his stat line look worse. But if the coaching staff wants to keep another bubble player at a different position, O’Connell could become more expendable if he isn’t lighting it up in the preseason.
Running Back
Previously:
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Mike Washington Jr. (R), Connor Heyward (FB), Dylan Laube
Cut: Roman Hemby (R), Dare Ogunbowale
Updated:
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Mike Washington Jr. (R), Connor Heyward (FB), Dylan Laube
Cut: Roman Hemby (R), Dare Ogunbowale, Patrick Gurd (R, FB)
The only change here is properly placing Gurd as a fullback after he switched positions from tight end. The third running back spot is very open after Laube had an uninspiring performance against the Cardinals. However, Hemby didn’t get enough opportunities to make a switch, and Ogunbowale didn’t touch the ball last week. Hopefully, those two will get more playing time in Houston to have a better feel for the competition.
Wide Receiver
Previously:
Starters: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Malik Benson (R)
Backups: Jack Bech, Dareke Young, E.J. Williams (R)
Cut: Dont’e Thornton Jr., Chase Roberts (R), Shedrick Jackson, Phillip Dorsett II, Deven Thompkins
Updated:
Starters: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech
Backups: Malik Benson (R), E.J. Williams (R), Shedrick Jackson
Cut: Dont’e Thornton Jr., Chase Roberts (R), Dareke Young, Phillip Dorsett II, Deven Thompkins, Noah Brown, Brandon Johnson
Wide receiver is a tough position to predict, and it doesn’t help that the coaching staff keeps adding wideouts to the mix. Also, Benson, Bech and Tucker were the only receivers to record more than one catch against the Cardinals. Williams and Roberts were two of the three undrafted free agents who Kubiak named as standouts in training camp to boost their odds at earning a roster spot. Meanwhile, Young is considered a special teams ace, but Jackson received more opportunities last week to justify the flip.
Tight Ends
Previously:
Starter: Brock Bowers
Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut: Carter Runyon, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Myarick
Updated:
Starter: Brock Bowers
Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut: Carter Runyon, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Myarick
Another position where I don’t see any reason to change last week’s prediction. Runyon is still injured, and Thomas played pretty well with a few nice blocks and a catch against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Okwuegbunam and Myarick didn’t do much.
Offensive Line
Previously:
Starters: Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze
Backups: Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers, Jordan Meredith, Trey Zuhn III (R)
Cut: Dalton Wagner, Will Putnam, Atonio Mafi, Kamar Missouri (R), Justin Pickett (R), Isaiah Jatta (R), Niklas Henning (R)
Updated:
Starters: Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze
Backups: Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers, Atonio Mafi, Trey Zuhn III (R)
Cut: Dalton Wagner, Will Putnam, Jordan Meredith, Kamar Missouri (R), Justin Pickett (R), Isaiah Jatta (R), Niklas Henning (R), Braeden Daniels
Meredith had a pretty rough outing a week ago to at least be put on notice. Meanwhile, Mafi had issues in pass protection but was pretty good in the running game to help his cause. Of course, it’s still very fluid between those two. In this scenario, Zuhn would take on the backup center duties, with Powers-Johnson also having the flexibility to move to the pivot if something were to happen to Linderbaum.
Edge
Previously:
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Backups: Kwity Paye, Keryon Crawford (R), Cian Slone (R)
Cut: Brennan Jackson, Jahfari Harvey, Patrick Johnson
Updated:
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Backups: Kwity Paye, Keryon Crawford (R), Cian Slone (R)
Cut: Jahfari Harvey, Patrick Johnson
On IR: Brennan Jackson
It’s a shame Jackson suffered an injury and was placed on injured reserve, meaning he won’t be eligible to make the Raiders’ roster this year, because he had a solid performance versus the Cardinals. So did Slone and Johnson, to highlight the team’s depth at edge. However, with significant investments in Paye and Crawford this offseason, at least one of those two isn’t making the team.
Defensive Tackle
Previously:
Starters: Thomas Booker IV, Adam Butler
Backups: Tonka Hemingway, Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues, Benito Jones
Cut: Brandon Cleveland (R), Gary Smith II (R), Treven Ma’ae
Updated:
Starters: Tonka Hemingway, Adam Butler
Backups: Thomas Booker IV, Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues, Folorunso Fatukasi
Cut: Brandon Cleveland (R), Gary Smith II (R), Treven Ma’ae
Already Cut: Benito Jones
To be honest, it’s anyone’s guess as to who makes the team at defensive tackle. The Raiders really need a run-stuffer in the trenches, hence the addition of Fatukasi and the prediction that he’ll be on the 53-man roster. It feels like we’re in for a surprise on cutdown day here.
Linebacker
Previously:
Starters: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker
Backups: Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg, Segun Olubi
Cut: Xavian Sorey Jr. (R), Buddy Johnson, Cameron McGrone
Updated:
Starters: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker
Backups: Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg, Segun Olubi
Cut: Xavian Sorey Jr. (R), Buddy Johnson, Cameron McGrone
While Lindenberg had a good game, there wasn’t another reserve linebacker who stood out last Thursday night. So, there’s no need for any changes right now.
Cornerback
Previously:
Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson
Backups: Hezekiah Masses (R), Jermod McCoy (R)
Cut: Decamerion Richardson, Greedy Vance, Chigozie Anusiem, Caleb Offord (R), Devyn Perkins (R)
Updated:
Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson
Backups: Hezekiah Masses (R), Jermod McCoy (R), Greedy Vance
Cut: Decamerion Richardson, Chigozie Anusiem, Caleb Offord (R), Devyn Perkins (R)
Vance had a strong showing a week ago to potentially change the math at cornerback. Also, Richardson has reportedly been solid in camp, but it’s hard to elevate him after not getting a chance to see him play against the Cardinals. That adds extra significance to this week’s game for Richardson.
Safety
Previously:
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao
Backups: Treydan Stukes (R), Dalton Johnson (R)
Cut: Tristin McCollum, Devin Lafayette (R)
Updated:
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao
Backups: Treydan Stukes (R), Dalton Johnson (R)
Cut: Tristin McCollum, Devin Lafayette (R)
It feels like the safety room is pretty set in stone, unless the coaching staff has a set number of defensive backs they want to roster and opt to keep an extra corner instead. In that case, Pola-Mao and Johnson feel like the most-likely cut candidates. However, Pola-Mao got the starter treatment last week by playing in just the opening series, and Johnson had a good outing. In other words, the secondary is pretty murky right now.
Specialists
Previously:
Punter: AJ Cole III
Kicker: Matt Gay
Long snapper: Tyler Duzansky (R)
Cut: Kansei Matsuzawa (R), Alex Ward
Updated:
Punter: AJ Cole III
Kicker: Matt Gay
Long snapper: Alex Ward
Cut: Kansei Matsuzawa (R), Tyler Duzansky (R)
With Matsuzawa’s struggles, it feels like Gay won the kicker job last week. That’s kind of expected since the ‘Tokoyo Toe’ is IPP eligible and can have a “redshirt year” on the practice squad if he doesn’t get claimed off waivers. The only change among the specialists is at long snapper, and that’s simply a result of Ward being higher on the team’s unofficial depth chart.
