Raiders practice squad roster: Full list & latest roster moves

Wednesday’s transactions

As expected, Tom Telesco and company made a slew of transactions to begin the day on Wednesday as they work to perfect the Raiders' roster.

First, the team claimed two rookie players from the waiver wire: Thomas Harper and Jonah Laulu. 

Harper is a defensive back that played very well in the preseason for the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Laulu was a seventh-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in April’s draft, but due to a crowded and talented defensive tackle room, he was the odd man out for a roster spot. He also showed promise in the preseason.

Claiming these two players meant that the Raiders needed to clear space, and they did so through a handful of moves. 

The first of which was releasing a 2023 third-round pick, DT Byron Young. He never found his footing with the Silver and Black, and his effort was questionable at points during the preseason, so the Raiders felt comfortable moving on from him and giving Laulu a chance.

The second set of moves was placing veteran CB Brandon Facyson on IR, and releasing seventh-round rookie CB MJ Devonshire, who was up-and-down during his three preseason games. These transactions cleared the way for Harper.

If you noticed, the team picked up two players but let go of three. That means the team had an open roster spot for most of the day on Wednesday, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news that the Raiders have signed former New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes.

Holmes was a fourth-round draft pick for the Giants in 2020, which, not so coincidentally, was Patrick Graham’s first season as the Giants’ defensive coordinator. 

In two seasons under Graham, Holmes played in 23 games, recording two interceptions and seven passes deflected to go with 59 tackles and 0.5 sacks. He also recovered a fumble and had three QB hits.

Last season, in just 123 defensive snaps, Holmes had two interceptions and three passes defended, also recording 18 tackles, one for a loss, and a forced fumble. Not only this, but Holmes allowed a career-low 64.6 QBR when targeted in 2023.

Holmes also played 194 snaps on special teams, which is a point of emphasis for Antonio Pierce and staff. 

Nobody who suited up for Las Vegas in the preseason has signed elsewhere or been claimed, but that situation is obviously fluid as teams work toward finalizing their teams ahead of Week 1.