After a big free agency period and offseason program, the 2026 NFL Draft, undrafted free agents, rookie minicamp, OTAs, mandatory minicamp, training camp, a joint practice and three preseason games, the Las Vegas Raiders have officially announced their initial 53-man roster.
Klint Kubiak and his staff had a lot of work to do with John Spytek and his crew, but the work got done, and now, Raider Nation has a pretty clear idea of who will be suiting up to begin the 2026 NFL season. Of course, more moves are expected, and the players on the team are subject to change.
But let's take a look at where things stand now, with the roster cutdown deadline officially behind us. The two biggest notables were veteran guard Atonio Mafi being a surprise inclusion and promising third-round rookie defensive end Keyron Crawford being placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Las Vegas Raiders' initial 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season
Quarterback (3): Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza, Aidan O'Connell
Reports surfaced a day before the deadline that UDFA Jacob Clark had been waived, but as expected, no other moves for this room.
Running Back (3): Ashton Jeanty, Mike Washington Jr., Dylan Laube
Dare Ogunbowale was a surprise cut for this group, and the plot thickened even more with Roman Hemby being waived.
Fullback (1): Connor Heyward
Heyward was technically competing with Patrick Gurd, who was waived on Saturday, but this was never really a competition.
Wide Receiver (6): Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr., Malik Benson, Dareke Young
Tucker, Nailor, Bech and Benson were the only four that Raider Nation felt confident including in their projections. But Thornton Jr. still made the roster and avoided an IR stint, and Young, who was the early frontrunner but didn't make much noise this summer, sticks on the team.
Tight End (3): Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Bowers and Mayer reign supreme for this group once again. Thomas backed onto the roster as well, and Carter Runyon was placed on short-term IR, with a designation to return.
Offensive Tackle (3): Kolton Miller, DJ Glaze, Charles Grant, Trey Zuhn III*
No surprises here. The Raiders' first- and second-team offensive tackles are very clearly delineated.
Interior Offensive Line (6): Tyler Linderbaum, Spencer Burford, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers, Trey Zuhn III*, Atonio Mafi
Although the starters here are not seemingly demarcated at this juncture, it was always going to be this group on the interior. Well, except for Mafi, who is a downright shocking inclusion. PFF says he played well this preseason, but the eye test didn't. He should be first to go if Las Vegas makes a claim.
Defensive Line (6): Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker IV, Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues, Foley Fatukasi
Las Vegas had a lot of intriguing pieces here in the middle, and it'll be interesting to see how they handle the waiver wire and practice squad with this group. Rookie Brandon Cleveland was notably waived, but the six players included are no shock.
Defensive End (4): Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Patrick Johnson
Slone was a shocking departure early on Sunday, but that made the room clear-cut. Unfortunately, Raider Nation won't get to see Crawford at all this season, as the ankle injury he suffered in the preseason will put him on the shelf for his entire rookie season. Johnson earned his spot.
Linebacker (4): Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg
It remained to be seen if the Raiders would keep just four linebackers here or hang on to Olubi. But Olubi was released on Sunday.
Cornerback (6): Eric Stokes, Taron Johnson, Darien Porter, Jermod McCoy, Hezekiah Masses, Decamerion Richardson
The sixth cornerback spot was a point of contention, as Richardson and Vance Jr. both had a case to be on this team. But the former beat out the latter for the final seat.
Safety (5): Jeremy Chinn, Treydan Stukes, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Dalton Johnson, Tristin McCollum
With the top four settled for this unit, McCollum's status was the big question mark. It seems that he has made the 53-man team, at least for now. Let's see if either of the waived players (Devin Lafayette and Devyn Perkins) ends up on the practice squad.
Specialists (3): A.J. Cole, Matt Gay, Alex Ward
After Matsuzawa's rough preseason, the only real intrigue for this group was the long snapper battle between Ward and Duzansky. The former has outlasted the latter, so the rookie Duzansky heads to waivers.
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