Despite the NFL’s cutdown day and claiming cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. on waivers earlier this week, the Las Vegas Raiders are still looking to improve their roster. According to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, the Raiders hosted 16 free agents (listed alphabetically below) for a workout on Thursday, including offensive linemen Evan Neal, edge defender Azeez Ojulari and wide receiver Ronnie Bell.
- G Evan Beerntsen, Northwestern
- WR Ronnie Bell, Michigan
- DT David Blay, Miami
- DB Stephen Hall, Missouri
- DB Tre Hawkins, Old Dominion
- C Trey Hill, Georgia
- OT Christian Jones, San Diego State
- TE Josh Kattus, Kentucky
- LB Dasan McCullough, Nebraska
- DB Latrell McCutchin, Houston
- G Evan Neal, Alabama
- DE David Ojabo, Michigan
- LB Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
- LB B.J. Ojulari, LSU
- T Colby Sorsdal, Williams & Mary
- WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, South Florida
For those keeping score at home, that’s five offensive linemen, four edge defenders, three defensive backs,
two wide receivers, one defensive tackle and one tight end. The Ojulari brothers and McCullough are listed as linebackers but are stand-up outside linebackers who play on the line of scrimmage to fall into the “edge” category with Ojabo, who is listed at defensive end.
After the workout, the Raiders announced they signed Bell, Neal and Azeez Ojulari to the practice squad, releasing defensive end Jahfari Harvey, offensive tackle Kamar Missouri and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam in corresponding moves.
Neal was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft but fell out of favor with the New York Giants, getting switched from tackle to guard before being cut at the end of this year’s training camp. Meanwhile, Ojulari is also a former Giant (2021 second-round pick) and spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has 22 career sacks in five seasons.
Bell is the lowest-profile addition, as the 2023 seventh-rounder has accumulated just 10 catches for 113 yards and four touchdowns with the San Francisco 49ers (2023-2024) and New Orleans Saints (2025). However, Bell worked with Klint Kubiak when Kubiak was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023.
In Other Raiders’ Links:
- Kubiak’s offense plug-and-play at RB?: “[Ashton Jeanty’s] injury scare produced a really good question for Las Vegas: Is Kubiak’s offense plug-and-play for any running back,” S&BP’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “The answer: A resounding no.”
- What did the preseason show?: “The Raiders are a run heavy team and will go as far as their run game will take them,” via S&BP’s Philip Robinson. “In the offseason a commitment was made to improving the offensive line and so far they have received a legitimate return. Rick Dennison and his staff have improved the run blocking significantly from top to bottom.”
- Richie Incognito shares frustration with Breannan Carroll: “Talking to the guys, they were really frustrated,” Incognito said on Unnecessary Roughness with Q Myers. “…These guys work hard and their frustration last year was they are putting in all this time, they’re not getting the results on the field, but they really felt like they weren’t getting coached up in the meeting rooms, so there was a lot of frustration.”
- Reasons for optimism in Las Vegas: “Kubiak did an incredible job with Sam Darnold last season in Seattle,” The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia wrote. “Darnold had played well the previous season with the Vikings, but this was another level. Kubiak’s scheming and play calling were excellent. Seattle produced explosive pass plays at the third-highest rate in the NFL. That doesn’t mean everything is going to translate to Las Vegas. But there is certainly some proof of concept here.”
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