LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Raiders have some real star power and their defensive line has the potential to be one of the best in the league.
That said, the lower depth of the roster is not very good. It was a struggle to get to 53 players, rather than cut down to 53 players. General manager Tom Telesco will likely pick up a few players off waivers next week. Some players, like Tyreik McAllister, Amari Gainer, Matthew Butler and Charles Butler, did try to get our attention in the preseason finale, a 24-24 tie with the San Francisco 49ers Friday night.
The Raiders — and every other team in the league — have to cut their roster down to 53 players by 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Here’s The Athletic’s final roster projection:
Quarterbacks (2)
Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O’Connell
Cuts: Nathan Peterman, Carter Bradley
Analysis: The NFL passed a rule this offseason that allows teams to designate one emergency third quarterback on its practice squad the day before games. The emergency third quarterback would only be allowed to enter the game if the first two quarterbacks are ruled out due to injury or disqualification. The player would count toward one of the two slots teams can use to elevate a practice squad player to the active roster, but there’s no limit on the number of times a practice squad quarterback can be elevated. For that reason, it only makes sense for the Raiders to keep Minshew and O’Connell on their initial 53-man roster. They shouldn’t have to worry about Peterman or Bradley getting claimed by another team, unless some GM had a Joe Montana flashback on Peterman’s touchdown to Wilkerson.
Running backs (4)
Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube
Cuts: Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick
Analysis: This is a pretty solid running back room, with White showing well for himself when he filled in for the injured Josh Jacobs last season. Jacobs is now gone and the Raiders added Mattison to help share the load, especially on third down. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has praised White’s receiving skills, so fantasy owners will be happy to know that he won’t only be a two-down back. Abdullah is a trusted vet who also plays special teams, and rookie Laube is a nice project (shame on those who made Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler comps at training camp).
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Wide receivers (6)
Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, DJ Turner, Jalen Guyton, Tyreik McAllister
Cuts: Kristian Wilkerson, Ramel Keyton, Terrell Bynum, Tulu Griffin, Alex Bachman, Dax Milne
Analysis: The Raiders’ depth behind Adams and Myers might be better than we all thought. Tucker had a lot of drops at training camp, but maybe it took time for his Lasik surgery to kick in as he has been money in the preseason games and practices since. Turner is a roster lock, as he was already a great special teams player but has also been making plays on offense lined up all over the field. Guyton is Telesco’s guy from the Los Angeles Chargers and seems like a reliable option with some speed. We initially had Wilkerson making the roster, but then McAllister broke a punt return for a touchdown and caught another one Friday night. His performance could make the Raiders hesitant to expose him to getting poached by another team. It’s more likely they could sign Wilkerson back to the practice squad.
HOUSE CALL!!!#SFvsLV | 📺 FOX5 pic.twitter.com/Ev4w7XhBxI
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 24, 2024
Tight ends (4)
Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant, Zach Gentry
Cuts: Cole Fotheringham, John Samuel Shenker
Analysis: Bryant is the best blocking tight end on the roster and will log significant snaps on offense when the Raiders go to 13 personnel. There isn’t much room for Gentry on offense, but he provides some depth and can contribute on special teams.
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After drafting TEs Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, can Raiders succeed in 12 personnel?
Offensive line (9)
Kolton Miller, Cody Whitehair, Andre James, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford Jr., Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Andrus Peat, Will Putnam
Cuts: Jordan Meredith, Ben Brown, Dalton Wagner, Jalen McKenzie, Corey Luciano, Clark Barrington, Andrew Coker
Analysis: Miller returned to the field this week after shoulder surgery and expects to be ready for the opener. Powers-Johnson has also returned to the practice field from a concussion, but will sit behind Whitehair — the former Chicago Bears Pro Bowler who knows Getsy’s offense well — until he catches up on everything he missed. Did Munford hold off rookie Glaze for the starting job? It’s a little surprising that it came down to the wire after the coaches talked up Munford all offseason, but he has been dealing with a couple of hand injuries.
Kolton Miller feels good and expects to be ready for Week 1. On the new offense, JPJ and Minshew: pic.twitter.com/TZQ4Dbh3oX
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) August 22, 2024
Defensive ends (4)
Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Tyree Wilson, Janarius Robinson
Cuts: Elerson Smith, Ron Stone Jr., Charles Snowden, TJ Franklin, David Agoha
Analysis: It’s only the preseason, but the Raiders’ depth here is not as good as you think. Wilson is healthy after a lingering foot injury derailed his rookie season, but he hasn’t looked much different in Year 2. While it’s possible he’ll get better with more experience, he still lacks the get-off and moves to be effective as a pass rusher in the NFL. Robinson boasts impressive physical traits just like Wilson, but the fourth-year pro also hasn’t been able to put it all together yet. Snowden had a tipped pass and a sack against the 49ers, but it might have been too little too late.
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Defensive tackles (5)
Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, Adam Butler, Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera
Cuts: Marquan McCall, Matthew Butler, Noah Shannon
Analysis: Wilkins, Jenkins and Adam Butler will eat up most of the snaps here, but the Raiders still need some depth. While Young had an up-and-down training camp, they think he has some upside at three-technique. Silvera provides some insurance at nose tackle behind Jenkins and edges out Matthew Butler, who had a sack Friday night.
Linebackers (5)
Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, Luke Masterson, Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer
Cuts: Amari Burney, Kana’i Mauga, Jackson Mitchell, DaShaun White
Analysis: The starters have experience, confidence and the ability to make plays behind a defensive line that will keep blockers busy. Coach Antonio Pierce sees a little of himself in rookie Eichenberg, who’s nursing a lower leg injury. Undrafted rookie Gainer was a highly-touted pass rusher out of high school who couldn’t find his niche at two college stops, but he has made some plays this camp in both pass coverage and chasing down running backs.
Cornerbacks (6)
Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs, Decamerion Richardson, Brandon Facyson, M.J. Devonshire
Cuts: Sam Webb, Cornell Armstrong, Woo Governor, Rayshad Williams, Ja’Quan Sheppard
Analysis: The depth here is concerning. Facyson missed most of 2023 due to injury and was sidelined for the majority of training camp for the same reason. Richardson has a lot of intriguing physical traits, but he’s raw. Devonshire had a bumpy camp. It could make sense to add some outside veteran help on the waiver wire. Webb made a nice play Friday to tip a Brock Purdy pass attempt to Deebo Samuel Sr. that led to a Chris Smith II interception but that might not be enough.
We’ll take that 💨#SFvsLV | 📺 FOX5 pic.twitter.com/YEdw2SvEi8
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 24, 2024
Safeties (5)
Marcus Epps, Tre’von Moehrig, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Chris Smith II, Trey Taylor
Cuts: Jaydon Grant, Phalen Sanford
Analysis: Epps and Moehrig have picked up where they left off last season, with their great chemistry, smarts, aggressiveness and ability to flip-flop roles. Pola-Mao had a great camp and was even getting snaps as a backup nickel corner. After those first three … we had to use our imaginations a little bit. Taylor won the Jim Thorpe Award last year in college, but fell to the seventh round because of measurables and has been banged up this preseason. The same goes for Smith, though he did have the interception Friday.
Specialists (3)
PK Daniel Carlson, P AJ Cole, LS Jacob Bobenmoyer, KR/PR Tyreik McAllister
Analysis: McAllister was the Raiders’ most productive return man both on kickoffs and punts in the preseason and should be able to handle both duties. The Raiders like what Tucker brings to the table as a punt returner, but it’s probably not worth exposing him to a greater chance of injury.
(Top photo: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
