Five things that stood out with the Oakland Raiders initial 53-man roster

By Brad Weiss | Sep 1, 2018

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and now ESPN Monday Night Football Analyst Jon Gruden looks on during pre-game warm ups before an NFL football game between the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on November 18, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 24: EJManuel #3 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass to Griff Whalen #13 against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Raiders won the game 13-6. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Cook and Manuel gone

One of the bigger position battles heading into the summer was who was going to backup starting quarterback Derek Carr. The two men fighting for the spot were EJ Manuel and Connor Cook, both of whom had their chances to nail down the role all summer long.

Cook got off to a fast start, looking very good in the preseason opener, and was the No. 2 behind Carr for the first three games. However, Manuel got the start in Game No. 4, and had an incredible performance, throwing for three touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks.

Still, the Raiders cut him early on Saturday, and it looked like Cook had won the job. Later in the day, the team traded away a fifth round pick for Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron, releasing Cook, and making McCarron the No. 2 heading into 2018. Now the team has ten days to get Carr’s backup ready in case he gets hurt again.

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