Final Raiders 53-man roster projection
By Levi Dombro
Offense
Quarterbacks (2)
Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell
Practice Squad: Nathan Peterman
Cut: Carter Bradley
No surprise here. Peterman knows Luke Getsy’s system better than Bradley does and I don’t think anyone will be banging down our door and stealing him off of the Raiders' practice squad. He’ll be elevated each week as the team's emergency QB.
Running Backs (4)
Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube
Practice Squad: Sincere McCormick
Cut: Brittain Brown
No surprises here either. Brown is finally cut by the Raiders after a series of unproductive preseasons and an injury-plagued few years. I hope he finds his footing elsewhere, but McCormick was more productive and deserving of a spot on the practice squad.
Wide Receivers (6)
Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, DJ Turner, Kristian Wilkerson, Tyreik McAllister
Practice Squad: Ramel Keyton, Terrell Bynum, Tulu Griffin/Alex Bachman*
Cut: Jalen Guyton, Dax Milne
Wilkerson seemed destined to be the fifth receiver to make the team, and he proved why he deserved that last spot on Friday. Guyton had the most hype coming into camp but an injury set him back and McAllister’s performance against the 49ers was too electric to ignore. That sixth receiver won’t see much time on offense so it came down to who made the most impact on special teams, which is undoubtedly McAllister.
*Tulu Griffin is dealing with an injury, so if he is healthy, he’s my practice squad pick. If not, he’ll revert to IR and Bachman is his likely replacement.
Tight Ends (4)
Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant, Zach Gentry
Practice Squad: Cole Fotheringham
Cut: John Shenker
Keeping four tight ends may be unheard of but Getsy loves his tight ends. With how much Bowers figures to line up out wide and in the slot as well, the team needs four on the roster. Gentry is a big target who did not play a ton in the second half of Friday’s game, which tells you that the staff thinks he is safe. Fotheringham is a great project to keep around on the practice squad.
Offensive Line (9)
Kolton Miller, Cody Whitehair, Andre James, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford Jr.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Andrus Peat, Will Putnam
Practice Squad: Clark Barrington, Andrew Coker, Dalton Wagner
Cut: Ben Brown, Corey Luciano, Jalen McKenzie, Jordan Meredith
I was tempted to cut Andrus Peat due to his poor preseason play, but I could not find a solid replacement for him. He is a veteran who was playing out of his normal position this preseason, and he’ll be a solid depth piece that can play multiple positions. Will Putnam earned some respect this camp from Antonio Pierce and is another versatile interior lineman, so he sneaks onto the 53.