Potential cuts to watch for following Raiders final 2022 preseason win
The Las Vegas Raiders await Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers after concluding an undefeated preseason run. While many will point to the fact that those games have little meaning, for the players trying to make the roster, it was their tryout. In what most fans would say has been one of the most enjoyable preseason periods in recent memory, several Raiders have made a name for themselves. The problem is, that only a few will crack the final roster.
Earlier in the offseason, Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler made it clear that they were going to emphasize competition amongst the team. Essentially, the best man would get the job. There have been several standouts that etched their names into the Raiders’ preseason lore in the last few weeks. Looking ahead to a difficult week for McDaniels, the Silver and Black will face cuts as the new head coach trims his roster to 53 players.
McDaniels is under the microscope given the lofty expectations bestowed upon him. Regarded as a respected offensive guru, McDaniels goes into his second head coaching stint with a loaded roster. Obviously, fans didn’t see any of the team’s offensive stars in the preseason, most notably Davante Adams. Rather, McDaniels used the preseason to gauge who would make up his team’s depth.
There have already been some unanticipated moves by McDaniels. First, and most notably, was the release of wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Whom, by the way, showed out for his new team, the Baltimore Ravens, yesterday when he went deep for a 67-yard touchdown. As you can imagine, some might’ve questioned the move after seeing that. Nevertheless, the wide receiver corps was just too deep.
The second cut that took some by surprise was Kenyan Drake. The underwhelming running back found himself out of the picture after returning from injury and was quoted as saying that he never got a fair shot under McDaniels. Looking ahead, there might be another three cuts that could generate a similar reaction, as the road to 53 will soon begin.