Raiders 53-man roster projection after the preseason finale
By Brad Weiss
With the 2018 preseason in the rearview mirror, we take a look at our final projection for the Raiders 53-man roster.
The time has come, as the Oakland Raiders wrapped up their 2018 preseason schedule on Thursday night in Seattle. The Raiders will next take the field for game action when it counts, in the regular season, as they host the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 on Monday, September 10.
There are so many new faces within the organization, from the coaching staff, to the players, so the 2017 campaign in firmly in the rearview mirror. For the 2018 team, they have high expectations, even though most experts think they will finish near the bottom of the AFC West.
As we look towards the Rams game, let us take one final shot at projecting the 53-man roster, which needs to be set before 4pm ET on Saturday.
Special Teams (3): Mike Nugent, Johnny Townsend, Andrew DePaola
Rookie Eddy Pineiro beat out holdover Giorgio Tavecchio early in camp, and appeared to be the lock to be the team’s kicker in 2018. However, he has been battling an injury to his groin, and there is a real shot that he will not be out there when the Raiders kick off the regular season.
If he cannot go, Mike Nugent will be fine filling in, as he is an experienced kicker in the league. The punter will be Pineiro’s college teammate, Johnny Townsend, who the team drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Andrew DePaola takes over as the long-snapper in 2018, replacing veteran Jon Condo.
If Pineiro is healthy, he is obviously the choice over Nugent, but we will have to wait and see on that one. Nugent is a solid veteran, and should be able to handle duties until the rookie is ready to get back to work.