With the 2020 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, we take a very early look at a potential 55-man roster for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to kick off their inaugural season this Fall, as the franchise moves to Sin City for the 2020 NFL campaign. General manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden have made considerable alterations to team personnel, upgrading the defense and augmenting the offense.
Now that so many new Raiders players have been added in free agency and the draft, lets have a try at predicting who will make the final roster cuts. The new league year is upon us, and the recently signed collective bargaining agreement has expanded game day rosters to 55 players.
Gruden gave a glimpse into the Raiders thought process regarding roster construction in a zoom call after the draft saying quote:
"“[W]e have the ability now I think with our personnel to adapt on a weekly basis to attack whoever we’re playing, and play aggressively.” – Jon Gruden, Raiders Head Coach"
The focus on adaptability and creating enough combinations of 11 man personnel groupings was in reference to the offense, but certainly can be extrapolated to the defense. With Gruden’s comments in mind, here is the Way too early 55 man roster prediction.
Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers
Quarterback
The Las Vegas Raiders will kick off their new city and stadium with a familiar face under center, as despite all the rumors this offseason, Derek Carr will be the team’s starting quarterback. Sure, they brought in talent behind him in free agency, but Carr is the clear leader of this team heading into 2020.
The addition of a proven starter in Marcus Mariota negates the need for the Raiders to roll with four quarterbacks, so we have them bringing three when the regular season kicks off. That said, Gruden loves Nathan Peterman and likely keeps him around as the third man behind Carr and Mariota.
Wide Receiver
- Henry Ruggs
- Tyrell Williams
- Hunter Renfrow
- Bryan Edwards
- Zay Jones
- Nelson Agholor
This group could become a strength of the Raiders in the near future, as the team has used draft picks to bolster the position in recent years. Henry Ruggs III, Bryan Edwards, and Hunter Renfrow being recent draft picks are near locks to make the final 55.
Tyrell Williams will continue to be a big part of the offense until perhaps Edwards takes his spot, but when healthy, he showed he can be a playmaker in Gruden’s offense. Zay Jones and Nelson Agholor will need to play special teams, and be mixed into formations, but as we saw last year, injuries happen, and these are a good No. 5 and 6 option to have.
Running Backs and Tight Ends
Runningback
- Josh Jacobs
- Jalen Richard
- Lynn Bowden
- Rod Smith
- Alec Ingold (FB)
Josh Jacobs obviously is the incumbent starter, and was absolutely robbed of the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honors this past season. The Raiders also brought back the talented pass-catching back Jalen Richard this offseason, and Alec Ingold is a solid young fullback.
During the 2020 NFL Draft, the Raiders added the most versatile talent in the class, bringing in Kentucky’s Lynn Bowden Jr. Rod Smith is a valuable special teams player, coming over from Dallas with Rich Bisaccia, and when you look at this group as a whole, they have a nice blend of talent, and power.
Tight End
Darren Waller and Jason Witten on the field at the same time will be a tough matchup for many defenses, and allows the Raiders to run the ball effectively. Foster Moreau will be on the roster, but its conceivable he could start the season on the PUP list, in which case Derek Carrier could be safe another half year.
Nick O’Leary will beat out Carrier during camp however because of his prowess run blocking and ability on special teams. Overall, this is a very deep group, and the team also brought back Paul Butler, who you know will do everything he can to earn a job on this roster this summer.
Offensive Line
Offensive Tackle
Only three tackles make my first look at a possible 55-man roster, as David Sharpe is obviously so much better than Brandon Parker at this point. Trent Brown and Kolton Miller are locked in as the starters once again this season, and based on all the depth the team has at guard, keeping an extra tackle just does not make sense.
Offensive Guard
- Richie Incognito
- Denzelle Good
- Eric Kush
- John Simpson
Richie Incognito signed an extension to stay with the team, and is locked in as the team’s starting left guard. In my opinion, Gabe Jackson will be the odd man out, as there are just so many guards on this roster, and I’m not buying Mike Mayock’s comments about how Jackson is safe. Denzelle Good can also play tackle as well, so that helps in case of an injury there, and Eric Kush and 2020 draftee John Simpson are the backups.
Center
Rodney Hudson is clearly one of the best centers in the league, and is paving his way into having a Hall of Fame career with the Raiders. Jordan Devey was brought in because of his flexibility playing any interior offensive line position, and while Hudson is one of the more durable centers in the league, Devey’s versatility earns him a spot on this roster.
Defensive Line
Defensive End
The Raiders ran with five defensive ends last season, so it only makes sense they will do the same in 2020. Rod Marinelli as the defensive line coach, however, represents a shift in roster philosophy, and that has caused a change in personnel. One thing that won’t change is that second-year stars Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell will lead this group.
Las Vegas added all-around DE Carl Nassib and allowed pass-rush specialist Benson Mayowa, and run defender Josh Mauro to walk. Arden Key is safe for another year because the front office wants to see what Marinelli can get out of him. Still waiting on news from Dion Jordan, in the meantime the Raiders will roll with Valoaga.
Defensive Tackle
Maliek Collins is another defensive lineman who can make an impact against the run or the pass, and he was an excellent addition in free agency. Johnathan Hankins is a stalwart run defender, and Maurice Hurst is the designated rusher of the group.
P.J. Hall beats out free agent signee Daniel Ross, who is here to provide for a camp battle between the two. Hall is the most talented interior defensive lineman on the roster, but has the biggest skill deficit, and Marinelli could make him into a beast next to Collins.
Linebacker and Safety
Linebackers
- Cory Littleton
- Nick Kwiatkoski
- Tanner Muse
- Nicholas Morrow
- Marquel Lee
The linebacker room is completely revamped, which is a great thing because it was an absolute liability last season. Free agent signings Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski will be on the field when the Raiders are in Nickel, and their addition makes this a formidable group.
2020 draftee Tanner Muse as a safety convert is perhaps not the best fit for the Sam linebacker spot which will go to Marquel Lee. Nicholas Morrow has a lot of value on special teams, but this position group has a lot of competition. Guys like Derrick Moncreif, Nick Usher, Quentin Poling, Tevon Coney, and Kyle Wilbur will make for an intense camp battle.
Safety
The safety position is pretty much set barring injury. Johnathan Abram and Damarious Randall will start, giving the team an exciting tandem at strong and free safety. In his one start in 2019, Abram looked like an Alpha out there in the secondary, and the hope is his injury is behind him.
Jeff Heath will be the backup at strong safety, and Erik Harris will be the backup at free safety. Remember, there was also noise that Lamarcus Joyner could play some safety this season as well, so entering camp, this is another position group with good depth and versatility.
Cornerbacks and Specialists
Cornerback
- Trayvon Mullen
- Damon Arnette
- LaMarcus Joyner
- Amik Robertson
- Nevin Lawson
- Isaiah Johnson
- Keisean Nixon
The more the merrier, and this group has a lot of different flavors. Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette, and Isaiah Johnson are the press corners, and all three are very young and exciting players to keep an eye on in 2020. Veteran Lamarcus Joyner and 2020 draftee Amik Robertson will compete for the slot, and by all accounts, Robertson may have been the biggest steal of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Keisean Nixon and Nevin Lawson can do either in a pinch, and are going to be very reliable depth pieces on this team this season. This group looks much stronger on paper, and the depth behind the starters is exciting, which is more than can be said for most positions.
Specialists
- (Kicker) Daniel Carlson
- (Punter) AJ Cole
- (Long Snapper) Trent Sieg
AJ Cole could stand to improve in Year 2, but unless the Raiders get a veteran punter, its not likely they move on from him. After coming over in free agency after being released by the Minnesota Vikings two years ago, Daniel Carlson has been up and down, looking so good as a rookie, and then missing some crucial kicks in 2019.
Trent Sieg is a solid long snapper, and should have no problem earning the starting job again this season. In addition, there are some dynamic return men on the roster this season, as the Raiders return Jalen Richard, but have also brought in some playmakers in rookies Henry Ruggs III and Lynn Bowden Jr.