The Las Vegas Raiders' roster has been a revolving door this offseason under John Spytek and Pete Carroll. The team's new leadership tandem was clearly not impressed with the Raiders' four-win effort in 2024, so they are constantly tinkering with how things will look in Las Vegas this season.
Free agency brought lots of turnover for the Silver and Black, and the new regime brought in a franchise record 11 players during the 2025 NFL Draft. This dramatic overhaul has caught the fan base by surprise, as the roster is becoming largely unrecognizable.
Things took another turn last week when the team dealt former starting cornerback Jakorian Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker. In just one week, however, Raider Nation has already changed its tune about this deal from being disappointed to excited.
Thomas Booker already making waves in Raiders' defensive tackle room
Booker made his debut for the Silver and Black during Thursday's preseason contest against the Seattle Seahawks, just under three days after being traded across the country. Given the team's shaky defensive tackle depth, Booker had an immediate opportunity to shine.
Although the box score would not indicate that he made a big impact, recording just one tackle, Booker jumped off the screen a bit against the Seahawks. His speed was especially noticeable as he chased down quarterback Jalen Milroe, a known savant for his running abilities.
He finished with just a 58.4 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus, but this was in the middle of the pack for the Raiders' defense. This is not bad for a player who likely spent less than 24 hours in Las Vegas before traveling to Seattle for his first action with the team.
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To reward him for his strong play, the coaching staff put Booker with the starting group during Sunday's padded practice. Veteran Adam Butler was out for personal reasons, but it seems like Booker may already be the next man up in the defensive tackle room in Las Vegas.
He'll still have to fend through players like Leki Fotu, Zachary Carter and draft picks Tonka Hemingway and J.J. Pegues, but Booker will be given every opportunity to compete for a role. He told reporters on Saturday that he is looking forward to his time with the Raiders, now that he is settled in.
"I'm excited to see what I can do," Booker said. "The organization believes in me, like they believe in all the players here. You can feel it's palpable. I'm just trying to give them a great return investment."