With only one preseason game standing between the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL's cutdown day on Sunday, August 30, things are about to get quite interesting. Klint Kubiak preached competition all offseason, and that came to fruition this summer, as several battles have come down to the wire.
And with only 53 spots available to the 89 players currently in the building, Thursday's preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers should go a long way in determining who wins these positional contests in Las Vegas with razor-thin margins.
So, let's dive into eight roster battles that are nip-and-tuck heading into the last exhibition game, and let's determine who currently has the edge. This is obviously subject to change, but as it stands now, these eight Raiders are ahead and could control their destiny before the chaos of this weekend.
8 Raiders roster battles that could come down to the wire, and their current leaders
QB1 - Who starts under center on opening weekend?
In the running: Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza
Cousins and Mendoza are locked into a quarterback battle; at least that's what Kubiak is telling fans. Even as of Tuesday, Kubiak still wouldn't let the media know who the starter would be in Week 1 vs. the Miami Dolphins, so at least ostensibly, the veteran Cousins and rookie Mendoza are competing.
The edge: Cousins
Obviously, Cousins has the edge here, as Mendoza has scarcely run with the first-team offense in practice and not at all in preseason games. If Cousins doesn't play this Thursday again, then you can call this battle before the game kicks off. Let's just hope to see Mendoza sooner rather than later.
Final RB spot - Who joins Jeanty, Washington, Laube and Heyward?
In the running: Dare Ogunbowale, Roman Hemby, Patrick Gurd (FB)
Obviously, Ashton Jeanty's injury status will change the complexion of this room. But as it stands now, the Raiders seem likely to carry Jeanty on the 53-man roster, meaning Ogunbowale, Hemby and Gurd are battling for a spot behind Jeanty, Mike Washington Jr., Dylan Laube and Connor Heyward.
The edge: Ogunbowale
Kubiak did keep two fullbacks with the Seattle Seahawks last year, but Gurd just hasn't done much this preseason. Ogunbowale has maximized his touches more than Hemby while also being a better and more diverse special-teamer, and he also brings a veteran presence to such a young room.
WR5/6 - Do the Raiders feel confident in anyone behind the 4 guarantees?
In the running: Dont'e Thornton Jr., Shedrick Jackson, Dareke Young, Deven Thompkins, Brandon Johnson, EJ Williams, Chase Roberts, Phillip Dorsett II
Las Vegas is in dire need of solutions at wide receiver; just ask Kubiak. Only four players are locks for this roster, and none of them are even established guys in the NFL, so things go sideways in a hurry for this room. The Raiders are not short on options with 12 on the roster, but pickings are quite slim.
The edge: WR5 - Thornton Jr., WR6 - External Free Agent
Thornton Jr., just because of his draft status, should still make the team if he's healthy and not on IR. He's the frontrunner, although not a guarantee. Maybe this is cheating, but someone from outside the building may have the inside track over anyone else in this WR room if Las Vegas wants to keep six.
Starting RG - Which promising youngster makes a statement up front?
In the running: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers
Powers-Johnson was the starter at right guard all offseason, but as has become commonplace, the Raiders are now making him compete for the job. Halfway through training camp, Rogers began rotating in with Powers-Johnson with the 1s and took all the reps in JPJ's short injury absence.
The edge: Powers-Johnson
This could really go either way, and Thursday's game should be a big determining factor. But Powers-Johnson is just so talented, and the staff has to be banking on upside in the early part of a rebuild. Plus, Rogers struggled quite a bit last week against the Houston Texans with Powers-Johnson out.
DE5 - Who earns the last spot (or two?) in the edge rusher rotation
In the running: Patrick Johnson, Cian Slone, Jahfari Harvey
Johnson has enjoyed a tremendous preseason out of nowhere, Slone has lived up to the hype as a prized UDFA, and Harvey looks improved compared to last year. If the Raiders only keep five edge rushers, then John Spytek and Co. will have some tough, tough decisions to make.
The edge: Slone
Harvey is easily the third option here, but it is neck-and-neck between the other two. The edge goes to Slone because putting him on the waiver wire is a big risk. Releasing Johnson makes him a free agent, though, meaning he can re-sign to the practice squad or the 53 after some roster gymnastics.
DT5 - Which player will supplement Butler, Hemingway, Laulu and Booker IV?
In the running: Foley Fatukasi, JJ Pegues, Brandon Cleveland, Treven Ma'ae, Gary Smith III
It is unknown if Las Vegas will keep five or six defensive tackles, but Adam Butler, Tonka Hemingway, Jonah Laulu and Thomas Booker IV are definitely the four who are locked in. That means that five players are competing for, at the most, two spots, and potentially just one.
The edge: Fatukasi
Fatukasi has been a late riser, and he's even started taking some first-team reps at practice. Pegues is just barely on his bumper right now, so this could go either way, but Fatukasi could probably cinch up the job with another strong showing. Pegues won't go away quietly, though, and both could stay.
CB2
In the running: Darien Porter, Zeke Masses, Jermod McCoy
Eric Stokes is entrenched on one side of the field, but it remains a mystery who will be his counterpart on the first play of the season. The Raiders will likely rotate through this spot quite a bit, but the starting nod is still a distinction that every player in this room wants to carry.
The edge: Porter
Porter started in the second preseason game and has taken the majority of the first-team reps this week at practice, so it stands to reason that he'll start again. Being the older and more experienced player, he seems to have the edge. But this could change in a flash if Masses balls out on Thursday.
Starting Free Safety
In the running: Isaiah Pola-Mao, Treydan Stukes
While there is certainly room for these two players to coexist, only one can be out there to start things off in Week 1 next to Jeremy Chinn. And while Pola-Mao is the incumbent at the position, Stukes is a promising youngster who is rapidly ascending here in the preseason.
The edge: Stukes
In the blink of an eye, Stukes went from being deemed not ready to taking over all of the snaps with the top veteran group. Pola-Mao has been sent away to work with the 2s. If Stukes keeps showing what he did in the last exhibition game, then things should stay this way.
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