3 players who should have made the Las Vegas Raiders 53-man roster
Lynn Bowden, Jr. – RB/WR/PR
While technically the Raiders traded away Lynn Bowden versus releasing him, this is still a move that needs to be discussed because of how shocking it was. All summer we had Bowden penciled in as a player that could play all over the field and make an impact as a running back, wide receiver, and even as a Wildcat QB.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock raved about his versatility and thought he would be the “Joker” in their offense but it did not quite work out that way. Reports came out in recent weeks that Bowden didn’t display his trademark speed in training camp because he was unable to grasp the intricacies of the new position. It must have dawned on Raiders brass that the rookie was not the player they hoped for when they used a third-round pick on him just a few months ago.
Now there are two sides to this decision, the first is that it may be a good thing that the team cut bait on a player that they felt was not up to the task of learning a new position. They were able to get a pick back in exchange for him while his stock was relatively untainted which may be a good decision in the long run if he does not pan out in the NFL.
The other side of this is that the Raiders gave up on a player before they saw him play one down of NFL football. The lack of preseason must have made player evaluations even more difficult than normal, but it is even more of a shame considering Bowden never got to compete in a Raiders uniform. He could end up being the type of player that just does not practice well or is simply taking longer than expected to get up to speed but the lack of patience by the Raiders is truly bizarre.
We will have to take the word of Mayock and Gruden that Bowden was not up to snuff and that they chose better players to keep on the roster but it is still a disappointment that a third round pick was wasted and discarded so quickly. In any case, Bowden gets his chance at a revenge game in Week 16 and the Raiders will hope that the Dolphins don’t think he’s any good either.