Although Klint Kubiak is really walking the walk and making everyone on the Las Vegas Raiders compete for a spot on the team or in the lineup, not much really changed with the roster picture between the first and second preseason games. At least not in a major way.
Several players are making cases to stick around on the practice squad, but effectively the same Raiders that showed out last week also came to play in Thursday's win over the Houston Texans. So, it's a lot of minor changes on this 53-man roster prediction, compared to last week's version.
But one big, lingering question remains about the wide receiver room in Las Vegas, which was brought on by Kubiak's calling the group out. As you'll see, we adjusted our roster projections in accordance with the Silver and Black's head coach.
Latest Las Vegas Raiders 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (2):
Keep:Â Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza
Cut:Â Aidan O'Connell (Trade Candidate?)
Practice Squad:Â Jacob Clark
It would shock me if the Raiders keep three quarterbacks, especially given all of the close calls they have to make at other positions. The only change here is that O'Connell may have played his way into having some trade value again. If Clark doesn't play in Week 3, either, he may just get set free, period.
Running Back (5):
Keep:Â Ashton Jeanty, Mike Washington Jr., Dylan Laube, Dare Ogunbowale, Connor Heyward
Cut:Â N/A
Practice Squad:Â Roman Hemby, Patrick Gurd
Unfortunately, Las Vegas is going to have to part with a good running back and hope that they find their way back to the practice squad. After the outings that Laube and Ogunbowale had against Houston, the odd man out may be Hemby. And it's not like he's even playing poorly this preseason.
Wide Receiver (6):
Keep:Â Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr., Malik Benson, VETERAN*
Cut:Â Phillip Dorsett II, Brandon Johnson, Dareke Young, Noah Brown, Deven Thompkins, EJ Williams
Practice Squad:Â Shedrick Jackson, Chase Roberts
Ah, yes. The lingering question.
It is becoming abundantly clear that the Raiders want to add pieces to the wide receiver room. That doesn't bode well for any of the players already in the building, other than Tucker. While others feel like locks at this point, Las Vegas may need to look externally for legitimate help.
Pickings are slim at this point, so the Silver and Black may have to get a bit crafty. But I am just not convinced that the Raiders will end up keeping a sixth wide receiver, and if they do, he may not be on the roster at this current juncture.
Tight end (3):Â
Keep:Â Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut:Â Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Myarick
Practice Squad:Â Carter Runyon
Again, nothing changes at all here. If Runyon gets healthy, he could potentially challenge for a spot, but it's probably too little too late for him. Hopefully he gets stashed on the practice squad to continue developing. With a fullback on the roster, though, three tight ends will do.
Offensive line (8):
Keep:Â Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Charles Grant, Trey Zuhn III, Caleb Rogers
Cut:Â Jordan Meredith, Isaiah Jatta, Kamar Missouri, Atonio Mafi, Braeden Daniels
Practice Squad:Â Will Putnam, Dalton Wagner, Niklas Henning
The only change here is that Putnam looked good and Mafi looked bad last week, so we flip-flopped them. Other than that, Henning could get the IPP exemption with Kansei Matsuzawa's struggles. Jatta looked good last week and could challenge Wagner, but Wagner also fared just fine against Houston.
Defensive tackle (5):
Keep:Â Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker IV, Tonka Hemingway, J.J. Pegues
Cut:Â Gary Smith III, Treven Ma'ae
Practice Squad:Â Brandon Cleveland, Foley Fatukasi
After a rough outing, we swapped Ma'ae for Fatukasi, who looked very good in his debut with the Silver and Black. It may be tough to send Smith III out of the building, so maybe John Spytek gets rid of a draft pick again in Cleveland, who hasn't impressed despite ample opportunity.
Defensive end (6):
Keep:Â Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Keyron Crawford, Cian Slone, Patrick Johnson
Cut:Â N/A
Practice Squad:Â Jahfari Harvey
I just can't justify putting Slone or Johnson on waivers. Heck, even Harvey made a nice play last game. But the Raiders may have to keep six here, at least in the early going, and then do some gymnastics to keep both around. It's not worth losing Slone or Johnson.
Linebacker (4):
Keep:Â Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg
Cut: Buddy Johnson, Segun Olubi
Practice Squad:Â Xavian Sorey Jr., Cameron McGrone
Going light at this position may be a bit ill-advised, given the injury histories of Walker and Dean, but nobody has stood out behind the 'bergs. Sorey Jr. and McGrone could be practice squad candidates, as Olubi would likely find another home, given his experience. Johnson is somewhere in the middle.
Cornerback (6):
Keep:Â Taron Johnson, Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Jermod McCoy, Zeke Masses, Decamerion Richardson
Cut:Â
Practice Squad:Â Caleb Offord, Greedy Vance Jr.
Zero changes here from last week. Richardson made a careless error on special teams, but he was actually pretty solid at corner in extended reps. The entire young secondary looked better against the Texans, actually, except for Porter, who was a fairly mixed bag.
Safety (5):
Keep:Â Jeremy Chinn, Treydan Stukes, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Dalton Johnson, Tristin McCollum
Cut: Devyn Perkins
Practice Squad:Â Devin Lafayette
McCollum did himself a favor with his performance this past week. Lafayette also made three tackles, including two run stops, and had a nice tackle on the one reception he gave up. Oh, and he made the game-winning interception, so perhaps he'll stick around on the practice squad.
Specialists (3):
Keep:Â P A.J. Cole, K Matt Gay, LS Tyler Duzansky
Cut:Â LS Alex Ward, K Kansei Matsuzawa
Practice Squad:Â N/A
Matsuzawa may have played himself off the roster entirely by missing two extra points in this game. Duzansky and Ward's Pro Football Focus grades were fairly similar, so the former keeps the edge, for now. Cole's spot is signed, sealed and delivered.
Add us as a preferred source on Google