The Oakland Raiders 2019 53-man roster is set, and the safety position was among the biggest surprises of the past weekend.
Hard Knocks hopefuls and fan favorites were cut as the Oakland Raiders rounded out their final 53-man roster over the weekend. Some decisions left fans scratching their heads (saying goodbye to Keelan Doss, letting Brandon Marshall go, and four quarterbacks?) Yet as the position groups began to take their shape, the safety position still is among the surprises of the weekend.
Competition
The safety group was among the positions that carried a great amount of depth for Oakland heading into training camp. Via free agency acquisitions and leveraging a stockpile of draft picks, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden leveraged the opportunity to build a group with solid starters and reliable backups in place.
For a while it seemed the safety group was set, the summer competition would determine just exactly who would start.
Lamarcus Joyner was signed in free agency to a four-year deal and was immediately penciled in as a starter. Johnathan Abram, the standout safety out of Mississipi State, was taken 27th overall by the Raiders. If he could back up his play with the same amount of trash talk, then he very well could rise up the depth chart.
In addition, Oakland returned Karl Joseph, the fourth-year Raider taken in the first round back in 2016. Erik Harris rounded out the familiar faces returning to the Raiders. Newcomers Curtis Riley, Dallin Leavitt, and Jordan Richards were the remaining players vying to a spot on the final roster.
Amongst the roster surprises of the weekend, Oakland decided to keep six total safeties on the final 53-man roster. Of the names mentioned, only Jordan Richards failed to make the final roster.