The Las Vegas Raiders' current practice squad already looks quite a bit different than the group they announced after roster cutdowns. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, as there is plenty of reason to be excited about the present crew, as several could still play roles during the 2026 NFL season.
John Spytek and Co. clearly didn't get the memo to take Labor Day off on Monday, as they continued to exchange players on the bottom of the practice squad. Last week, they added Evan Neal, Azeez Ojulari and Ronnie Bell in exchange for Albert Okwuegbunam Jr., Kamar Missouri and Jahfari Harvey.
This week, with the opening game against the Miami Dolphins on the horizon, the Raiders added big rookie nose tackle Tim Keenan III from Alabama, who spent the offseason with the Los Angeles Rams, and a familiar face in fullback Patrick Gurd, who was in Las Vegas all spring and summer.
In corresponding moves, the team released both defensive tackle Gary Smith III and safety Devin Lafayette from the practice squad. Let's dive into what these moves could mean for the Raiders now and down the line.
Raiders add NT Tim Keenan III to practice squad
Keenan III was a seventh-round pick by the Rams this past April after a four-year stint for the Crimson Tide in which he logged 95 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. At 6-foot-1 and 327 pounds, Keenan III is a big player who frequently lines up over the center as a nose tackle.
During the pre-draft process, before a poor combine showing, we wrote about him in mock drafts not once, not twice, but three separate times. And we did so again when Los Angeles cut him loose when final rosters were announced. We've been a big fan of Keenan III's, and he can help this practic squad.
Coming out of college, he was a very good run-stuffer with a powerful upper body and solid lateral quickness for his size, which helped him get into the backfield and make plays or blow up double teams as the picker on stunts or to beat interior lineman's late hand strikes.
Although Keenan III initially made the Rams' practice squad, he was waived shortly after. Let's not give a young player too hard a time for not making that interior defensive line room in Los Angeles, but let's also acknowledge that Keenan III didn't exactly have a strong preseason.
He was a versatile piece on the defensive line, taking snaps at the 0, 1, 3 and even 5-technique this preseason. But Keenan III didn't find much success, outside of the opener, in which he notched a sack and three run stops. In the other two games, he managed just one tackle combined.
And his pass-rush win rate of 0.0% wasn't tremendous, even though he was never billed as a guy who will get after the quarterback. He didn't provide much help on special teams, playing eight snaps in three games, all on the field goal block unit. So, Keenan III has promise, but he is limited.
Gary Smith III had a solid enough preseason for the Raiders, and he was in the building all offseason learning the defense, so Las Vegas must feel really confident that Keenan III is an upgrade, or at least has more upside, if it is bringing him into the building just days before the regular season opener.
Hopefully, Keenan III develops some pass-rush chops and becomes a staple in the middle of the defense, as he's got serious run-stopping juice.
Patrick Gurd returns to Las Vegas on Raiders' practice squad
Gurd was a rookie minicamp invitee who instantly beat out UDFA Matt Lauter and earned a spot on the offseason roster. And he hung around throughout the spring and summer, at least ostensibly competing with free agent signing Connor Heyward for the fullback role in Klint Kubiak's offense.
Some positive reports about him surfaced at various points in OTAs and training camp, but Gurd never really got enough steam to make a case to dethrone Heyward, who played quite well throughout the offseason program in Las Vegas.
The Raiders didn't utilize Gurd much in the preseason, either, at least not offensively. He played only 14 offensive snaps in three exhibition games and didn't fare too well, but he was a net positive in his 32 total special teams snaps, split across three different units.
I hate to even say this, but I hope there's not an insidious reason that Las Vegas brought him back before Week 1 on such short notice instead of keeping Devin Lafayette, who looked good this fall, on the practice squad to develop. But Gurd is a solid teamer who is versatile and can help out on scout.
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