Las Vegas Raiders 53-man roster watch: 2020 cuts tracker

This Saturday is officially cut day in the NFL, and we will have all the information you need as players are cut, and the Raiders 53-man roster takes shape.

The Las Vegas Raiders roster is starting to take shape, as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and only the second time since the 2002 NFL season. The team has to have their roster cut down to 53 men by 1 p.m. PT on Saturday afternoon, so there is a lot of work to be done before then.

We will keep tabs on those players who get cut, as the Raiders look to get their roster in place for Week 1 prep for their game against the Carolina Panthers.

Raiders who have been cut

• Cornerback Prince Amukamara

The Las Vegas Raiders have made the move to stay young in the secondary, and have cut veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara, who was signed in May.

• Safety Damarious Randall

On Friday, one day before the cut day in the NFL, the Raiders started to make their moves, cutting veteran safety Damarious Randall. Randall was expected to start alongside Johnathan Abram at safety, and has great versatility, so this is another vet cut that was a bit of a shock.

• Running Back Theo Riddick

The Raiders brought in Theo Riddick this summer to challenge for a backup role in the Raiders loaded backfield. In the end, it looks like it will be fellow veteran Devontae Booker that will make the team, leaving Riddick back on the free agent market.

• Cornerback Madre Harper

The Raiders signed Madre Harper as an undrafted free agent early in May, and he had some solid moments for the team during the summer. However, as the team gets ready to move to the required 53-man roster heading into Week 1, there was just too much talent at the position group for him to hang on. Hopefully, he returns as a practice squad player.

• WR De’Mornay Pierson-El and TE Nick Bowers

Two offensive players who were released prior to Saturday were wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El and tight end Nick Bowers. Both players are expected to land on the team’s practice squad if they choose to stay with the organization.

• Linebacker Javin White

The trade for Raekwon McMillan hurt Javin White’s chances of making the Week 1 53-man roster, and he was cut before the deadline on Saturday. The hope is that he can come back on the practice squad, because he had a tremendous summer, and could actually help this franchise down the line.

• Offensive Lineman Lester Cotton Sr.

Lester Cotton Sr. was signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, played on the practice squad, and then was activated in December. After being released on Saturday, it is possible he goes the same route in 2020

• Defensive linemen Chris Smith, Datone Jones and Mike Panasiuk

It was going to be hard for Panasiuk to make this roster out of camp, as he was another guy brought in as an undrafted free agent rookie. Chris Smith had a bunch of talented guys ahead of him at defensive end, and after coming aboard in late August, did not have enough time to make a big statement and earn a spot.

• Linebackers Kyle Emanuel and Kyle Wilber

The two Kyles were both released prior to the 1pm PT deadline, and both were fighting for roster spots in a suddenly deeper linebacker group. Emanuel came out of retirement to sign with the Raiders, feeling it was his best spot to earn a ring, and in Wilber’s case, he had not done enough to sneak onto the 53-man for a second straight summer.

There are high expectations for this Raiders team entering the first season in Las Vegas, and there are sure to be some head-scratching cuts made on Saturday. For the first time, the team has a lot of depth at multiple positions, so making this roster, especially during a pandemic where there was no preseason, is going to be hard for a lot of these undrafted guys.