With cutdown day in the books, the Las Vegas Raiders have their initial 53-man roster set. That gives us some information to develop a handful of takeaways and explore a few spots that could still be addressed via an early-season free-agent signing.
WR depth is as bad as it gets
This isn’t exactly an earth-shattering takeaway since anyone who has been paying attention to the offseason knew the Raiders’ wide receiver room lacked talent heading into training camp. Also, Klint Kubiak called out the position group after the second
preseason game, saying that someone needed to step up.
However, Dont’e Thornton Jr. making the team after struggling to begin camp and then missing about a month—including all three preseason games—with an injury really highlights how much the group was struggling as a whole. Pair that with an underwhelming rookie season, and it seems like the only reasons the 2025 fourth-round pick has a roster spot are because of his draft slot and lack of other options.
On top of that, Dareke Young is occupying a roster spot after having just one catch for 10 yards during the preseason. Granted, Young made it for what he brings on special teams. But he’s one of six receivers on the roster, so that only reinforces that Las Vegas lacks depth at the position.
Thus, it’s widely expected the Raiders will be looking for more wideouts throughout the season, meaning Thornton shouldn’t get too comfortable.
No market for O’Connell
It was a little bit of a surprise to see Kubiak keep Aidan O’Connell. The fourth-year pro is in a contract year while Kirk Cousins is expected to be named the Week 1 starter, and rookie Fernando Mendoza is the quarterback of the future who can also serve as the backup in the interim. So, it seemed like the Raiders were going to try to get a late-round pick or address another position by trading O’Connell at the end of training camp.
However, he didn’t play well enough to drum up a market, going 22-for-46 (47.8 completion percentage) for 283 yards and no passing touchdowns (1 rushing TD) during the preseason. Meanwhile, quarterbacks Kyle McCord (Packers to Dolphins) and Quinn Ewers (Dolphins to Jaguars) were dealt on cutdown day. So, other teams were in the market for a backup quarterback, but O’Connell is still in Vegas.
Maybe the Raiders plan to keep him as the backup to prevent Mendoza from having to be thrown into a game if Cousins gets injured, or they’re waiting for an injury to try and trade AOC during the season. But right now, it doesn’t seem like the rest of the league is interested in giving anything up for him.
Jeanty relatively healthy
At the time of writing, we still don’t know the full extent of Ashton Jeanty’s injury. It seemed devastating when the news was first reported, with notes about the team holding a prayer circle and him not being able to put weight on the injured leg. However, the follow-up that Jeanty suffered “just” a sprained ankle was a big sigh of relief considering the alternative.
Adding to that, the fact that the coaching staff is only rostering three running backs to begin the year suggests Jeanty won’t have to miss many or any games at all. Hypothetically, had Dare Ogunbowale made the team in some form (i.e., Jeanty getting placed on IR but designated to return, or even if both made it and someone else was cut), that would’ve cast doubt on the 2025 first-round pick’s availability.
No UDFAs
With a 10-player draft class, it was going to be difficult for any undrafted rookies to make the team this year. Even the last pick of the class—defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland—didn’t secure a roster spot. So, there was always a good chance no UDFAs would make the initial 53-man roster. However, it was somewhat surprising that Cian Slone didn’t make it while Keyron Crawford was placed on season-ending IR.
Sure, Patrick Johnson played better during the preseason. But the Raiders only kept four edge defenders when it’s fairly common to see five rostered around the league. Also, Slone received strong reviews during training camp and stood out during the preseason, too. He did clear waivers to be an option on the practice squad, so there’s no harm in him not having a spot initially. But it is worth noting that no rookie UDFAs made it.
IOL help needed
Along similar lines as wide receiver, the Raiders have a depth problem on the interior offensive line. After trading away Jordan Meredith, the backup center options are Jackson Powers-Johnson and rookie Trey Zuhn III. Powers-Johnson was exclusively playing right guard during training camp and is expected to start there in Week 1. Zuhn moved around throughout camp and only had 17 snaps at center during the preseason, per Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Atonio Mafi was a bit of a surprise to make the team. Mafi stood out as a run-blocker but struggled to provide pass protection for Mendoza during the preseason. Guard or center could be another spot that the front office addresses in the beginning of the season, meaning the four-year pro’s seat is still warm.
