With all of the chaos of the Las Vegas Raiders' initial 53-man roster reveal, folks may have forgotten that this version of the team is merely a rough draft. Several players on the end of the roster won't be here by Week 1 as John Spytek and Klint Kubiak continue to mold the team in their image.
The first reminder of that came early on Monday, as the Raiders used their No. 1 spot on the waiver wire to claim former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. Of course, this meant that Las Vegas had to make a corresponding move and release or waive a player to free up a roster spot.
As predicted, Decamerion Richardson was the collateral damage of Luter Jr. joining the team. And while it is disappointing to see the 2024 fourth-round draft pick head to waivers, his time in the Silver and Black may not actually be done; the door isn't quite closed yet for the third-year pro.
Raiders waive CB Decamerion Richardson to make room for Darrell Luter Jr.
Luter Jr.'s arrival put the Raiders' cornerback room over capacity, as they suddenly had seven players. Considering Spytek did not draft Richardson and he had a hand in bringing each of the other six players to Las Vegas, Richardson was the obvious odd man out.
Because he has only completed two full NFL seasons, Richardson will head to the waiver wire. There, another team can put in a claim for him and pick up his contract, which would end his time with the Raiders. If nobody claims him, then he'll become a free agent.
To be honest, it's unlikely that Richardson will get claimed, as he didn't perform all too well when given the chance as a rookie in 2024, and he played just 13 defensive snaps a year ago. Yes, Richardson has extensive special teams experience, but that's not the kind of thing that gets a player claimed.
Most likely, Richardson will clear waivers and become a free agent. At that point, he would be free to sign with any NFL team on a new contract, and it'd be up to him and his camp to find a new home in the league. But there's a non-zero chance that he just returns to the Raiders.
Raiders could use open practice squad spot to keep Decamerion Richardson if he clears waivers
The Raiders announced their practice squad on Monday afternoon, and one thing was notable: they only included 16 players. One of those players was Kansei Matsuzawa, who has an exemption for being an International Player Pathway member, so Las Vegas has an open practice squad spot.
It is a bit peculiar that Spytek and Co. did not fill that position, so perhaps they were leaving the light on for Richardson if he clears waivers, and again, it's likely that he does. The Raiders only have one corner on the practice squad, and it's Greedy Vance Jr., who is a nickel corner, not a boundary corner.
Richardson may want to find a new place to play, though; it takes two to ink a deal and metaphorically tango. After all, Las Vegas has made it clear to him that he's not a big factor in the cornerback equation, and the new general manager brought in boatloads of people to play instead of him.
But Richardson may not have a robust market, or any market at all, and his best option could be staying with the Raiders, albeit in a lesser capacity than he has been in recent years. We don't have a crystal ball, but it's possible that we have not seen the end of Richardson, despite him being waived.
If we have, then good luck, Decam. Once a Raider, always a Raider.
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