With 10 draft picks and another 18 undrafted rookies reportedly agreeing to terms (not yet official on the latter front), the Las Vegas Raiders only have so much room on their offseason roster. 91 players with an IPP exemption, to be exact, so some people will be gone, and someone had to be first to go.
On Thursday, with rookie minicamp starting on Friday, the Raiders announced the release of veteran linebacker/edge rusher Jamin Davis.
A first-round pick by the Washington Commanders (No. 19 overall) in 2019, Davis landed on the Raiders' practice squad last October after the New York Jets released him in late August. He was on the active roster for two games last season and recorded three total tackles over 16 defensive snaps.
Jamin Davis ultimately had no place on the 2026 Raiders
The Raiders signed Davis to a futures deal in early January, but all that did was give him a tentative place on the offseason roster.
If Davis couldn't prove worthy of a call-up to the active roster more than twice last season on a 3-14 team, and it's notable that he did not play on special teams at all in those games, then he had no prayer of making the Raiders' 53-man roster this year.
Two notable free agent signings at linebacker and edge rusher additions in free agency and the draft pushed Davis down the roster pecking order. It was hard to even say he was on the early roster bubble, since that would imply that someone has some level of chance to make it, even in late April.
Linebacker depth is a potential roster issue for the Raiders after the draft, but they can and should lean toward younger players like Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg, or even Xavian Sorey Jr. If a veteran addition is eventually made, whoever it is would be an automatic upgrade over Davis.
The Raiders were Davis' fifth organization in the span of the 2024 and 2025 seasons and the offseason in between. His NFL career is on the ropes, and the Raiders truly did him a favor by releasing him before OTAs.
If there are any opportunities out there for Davis, now he can find them ASAP and possibly get a full breadth of offseason work to try to earn a roster spot. But he wasn't going to make the team in Las Vegas, so they cut him loose.
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