In my mailbag column after the NFL cutdown day, every year I get at least one question about which players I would have liked to see make the Las Vegas Raiders’ initial 53-man roster. So, I’m beating you all to the punch this time around!
Of course, the Raiders can’t keep everyone, and the math just didn’t work out for most of the guys below. But they are at least deserving of some recognition for the body of work they put together during training camp and the preseason over the summer, in my opinion.
EDGE Cian Slone
There’s no denying that Patrick Johnson had the better preseason, but I thought it would make more sense for the rebuilding Raiders to keep the promising rookie over the 28-year-old. Or roster five edges to ensure both Johnson and Slone stay in the building after Keyron Crawford suffered a season-ending injury during the final preseason. But it’s no harm, no foul since the NC State product cleared waivers and was added to the practice squad on Monday.
DB Greedy Vance
With so many young defensive backs in Las Vegas’ secondary, Vance is another guy who was waived likely because there just weren’t enough roster spots at his position. The 2025 UDFA made some noise in training camp by nabbing a couple of interceptions off Fernando Mendoza and had a pretty good game against the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason. Luckily, Vance is back on the practice squad, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s one of the first players called up this season.
IOL Will Putnam
To be clear, it was pretty slim pickings for the final spot on the offensive line between Putnam, Jordan Meredith and Atonio Mafi. That was one of the hardest decisions to make during my 53-man roster projections, and I did have Mafi making it over Putnam in my final prediction ahead of the game against the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the former did struggle in pass protection throughout the preseason, and I probably would have flipped those two after the 49ers matchup. Plus, the latter has experience playing center, and the backup job behind Tyler Linderbaum is a question mark right now. Granted, Putnam is also back on the practice squad to potentially fill that role if Linderbaum were to get injured.
LB Segun Olubi
I wouldn’t pound the table for Olubi to make the team, but I was surprised he didn’t get a spot. He brings value as a special teamer and stood out defensively with a handful of tackles against the Houston Texans. However, the coaching staff opted to keep just four linebackers on the 53-man roster and originally had Cameron McGrone over Olubi on the practice squad. The latter was added on Monday to remain a call-up option, though.
So, this one doesn’t quite fit with the overall theme, but it did catch my eye as something I wasn’t expecting to see.
DT Brandon Cleveland
To be fair, Cleveland was pretty quiet for the majority of the summer. But I thought he made things interesting with his performance in the final preseason game by tying for the team lead in total tackles (five) and having the outright lead in TFLs (two). However, Foley Fatukasi being a late addition and making an immediate impact in Houston likely sealed the rookie’s fate before San Francisco rolled into town. Cleveland still has a chance to make a name for himself on the practice squad, though.
DT Gary Smith III
Smith’s odds of making the team also took a hit with Fatuaski’s arrival. The nose tackle from UCLA didn’t make a ton of plays during the preseason, but he did a good job of holding his gap consistently, which is more than a lot of defensive tackles on the Raiders’ roster could say. Smith has a limited skill set, but he could potentially fill a need on Las Vegas’ defense and is just a practice-squad call-up away from getting an opportunity to prove himself during the regular season.
