Raiders 53-man roster projection after preseason game No. 3
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders will take on the Seattle Seahawks in their preseason finale on Thursday, and here is our 53-man projection heading into the matchup.
With the preseason finale in two days, the Oakland Raiders 53-man regular season roster is starting to come into focus. Sure, Khalil Mack is still not with the team, but there has been plenty of other storylines this summer, as the preseason comes to a close.
New head coach Jon Gruden has brought his classic swagger back to the organization, and the team has looked good so far through the first three games. There have been some lows, including the play of the backup quarterbacks, but the defense looks improved, and they should be much better than the six-win team that took the field last season.
As we head towards the Seattle game, let us take a look at a projected 53-man roster.
Special Teams (3): K Eddy Pineiro, P Johnny Townsend, LS Andrew DePaola
The Raiders will deploy two rookies as their kicker and punter this season, and both were teammates at the University of Florida last season. Eddy Pineiro beat out Giorgio Tavecchio for the kicker job, and Johnny Townsend had no competition at punter, where he will replace Pro Bowler Marquette King.
Andrew DePaola will replace a mainstay in Jon Condo, who was a Pro Bowler twice during his time with the Raiders. DePaola signed a four-year contract with the team in March, and barring an injury in the coming weeks, he will be the long snapper this Fall.
Of course, this will change if Pineiro cannot get healthy for Week 1, which means Mike Nugent will handle the kicking duties. Overall, this is a solid unit, and should be a strength for the team in 2018.