The 2023 NFL preseason is over, which means all 32 teams must cut down rosters to 53 players by August 29 at 4 p.m. ET, and the Las Vegas Raiders have already started the process with several moves.
On Sunday, the Raiders placed running back Brittain Brown, tight end Jacob Hollister, and wide receiver Isaiah Zuber on injured reserve. Because the team placed those players on injured reserve before setting its final roster, none of them can return for the 2023 season.
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Vegas also waived linebacker Isaac Darkangelo, cornerback Isiah Brown, defensive tackle Doug Costin, cornerback Bryce Cosby, guard Vitaliy Gurman, running back Darwin Thompson, and quarterback Chase Garbers.
Keep in mind that the Raiders may make a move via trade to fill certain roster spots.
In the final depth chart projections below, you will see some changes from last week’s predictions because a few players made strong cases to earn the final three to four open spots up for grabs.
Quarterbacks (3)
- Starter: Jimmy Garoppolo
- Backups: Aidan O’Connell, Brian Hoyer
The Raiders already waived Garbers. So, we’ll wait to see if head coach Josh McDaniels keeps two or three quarterbacks. Because of Garoppolo’s injury history, Vegas should keep three signal-callers on the active roster.
Remember, a team’s emergency third quarterback must be on the 53-man roster, but he won’t count on the 46-man gameday roster during the regular season.
Regardless of who starts the season in the No. 2 spot, O’Connell will eventually become the primary backup who gets the nod if Garoppolo goes down with an injury. The Raiders would have nothing to gain with Hoyer on the field and every reason to gauge O’Connell’s potential.
Related: See where Jimmy Garoppolo lands in our QB rankings
Running backs (5)
- Starters: Josh Jacobs, Jakob Johnson (fullback)
- Backups: Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, Brandon Bolden
Jacobs is back, and that’s what matters most for the running back group. White didn’t show anything special in the preseason, but he’ll fill gaps behind Jacobs on early downs. Abdullah is set for a primary pass-catching role out of the backfield.
Yes, Bolden makes the cut. He’s a McDaniels favorite going back to the 2012 season with the New England Patriots and played 60 percent of the special teams snaps last season. Don’t forget that teams value core special teamers.
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Wide receivers (6)
- Starters: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow
- Backups: DeAndre Carter, Tre Tucker, Phillip Dorsett
Carter didn’t play in the final preseason game, so he’s basically a roster lock with a future in the return game for both kicks and punts.
Kristian Wilkerson, Keelan Cole Sr., Cam Sims, and Phillip Dorsett suited up for the final preseason game, which indicates they all had to fight for a spot.
Though Wilkerson had the most productive outing among Raiders wideouts, hauling in 10 passes for 122 yards, he’s more likely to pass through waivers and find his way back on the practice squad than Dorsett, who’s had some production in regular-season action. By the way, Dorsett dominated the Los Angeles Rams defense during joint practices a couple of weeks ago.
Like last year, Vegas may only keep five wideouts, but with the addition of Tucker and Carter likely in line for primary return duties, McDaniels should keep a sixth wide receiver with top-notch speed. Even at 30 years old, Dorsett fits the bill.
Related: See where Davante Adams lands in our NFL WR rankings
Tight ends (3)
- Starter: Austin Hooper
- Backups: Michael Mayer, Cole Fotheringham
Jesper Horsted barely misses the cut because of Fotheringham’s impressive outings, specifically in the first two exhibition contests.
In Week 1 of the preseason, Fotheringham caught five passes for 71 yards, though he also put his pass-blocking ability on display in the second exhibition game as an inline tight end.
Fotheringham showed just enough to bump Horsted to the practice squad.
Related: Why Josh McDaniels isn’t on the hot seat in 2023
Offensive line (8)
- Starters: Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, Andre James, Greg Van Roten, Jermaine Eluemunor
- Backups: Justin Herron, McClendon Curtis, Thayer Munford Jr.
Unless Thayer Munford Jr. beats out Jermaine Eluemunor for the right tackle position, the offensive line should be set without any surprises.
Against the Rams in the second week of the preseason, Van Roten played with the starters and then had the rest of the night off, indicating he’s wrapped up the right guard job. As a result, Alex Bars could be expendable if the Raiders see enough upside in Curtis, who had a solid offseason.
Herron committed a false start penalty in last Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but remember, the Raiders traded for him during the previous season. Coming off a torn ACL, he saw the most work at left tackle in the preseason. Clearly, McDaniels and co. see something in him.
Defensive linemen (10)
- Starters: Maxx Crosby, Bilal Nichols, Jerry Tillery, Chandler Jones
- Backups: Tyree Wilson, Byron Young, Neil Farrell Jr., Malcolm Koonce, Jordan Willis, Nesta Jade Silvera
Last week, Matthew Butler took the final spot on a 10-man defensive line, but Nesta Jade Silvera made a strong case to earn a roster spot with a strong performance against the Cowboys.
Though Dallas won most of the battles at the line of scrimmage, Silvera stood out as the brightest spot on the Raiders’ front line in a lackluster outing for the overall group.
Against the Cowboys, Silvera recorded five tackles (two solo), and he’s one of the few defenders who laid a finger on quarterback Will Grier.
Willis holds on to a roster spot while Jones recovers from an undisclosed injury that’s sidelined him for nearly two weeks.
Related: See where the Las Vegas Raiders rank heading into the season
Linebackers (5)
- Starters: Divine Deablo, Robert Spillane
- Backups: Curtis Bolton, Amari Burney, Trade Acquisition
Last Saturday, the back end of the linebacker group had a chance to show out and sew up roster spots, but the Cowboys offense had way too much space in the middle of the field. At times, you needed to look five or more yards away from fullback Hunter Luepke to find the nearest Raider defender.
As a whole, the backup linebackers had an underwhelming finish to the preseason. Look for general manager Dave Ziegler to acquire linebacker help before final cuts. Vegas cannot simply depend on Deablo taking a massive third-year leap and Spillane’s limited skill set.
The Raiders need another potential impact player at linebacker in case Deablo doesn’t meet expectations or deals with an injury as he did last season.
Whomever the Raiders acquire in a trade (Patrick Queen anyone?) would bump Luke Masterson or Drake Thomas out of a roster spot.
Related: NFL power rankings
Cornerbacks (5)
- Starters: Marcus Peters, Nate Hobbs, Tyler Hall
- Backups: Duke Shelley, Jakorian Bennett
Sam Webb falls out of the picture from last week’s depth chart. Like the linebacker corps, the Raiders cornerback group didn’t help itself against the Cowboys. Defensive end David Agoha logged the team’s lone pass breakup.
Webb didn’t have an awful performance, but he’s on the bubble with Shelley, who at least had a couple of open-field tackles, which is something the Raiders struggled to do last Saturday.
David Long Jr. didn’t make the cut because he may be the worst tackler in the secondary. In coverage, Long is a target to give up a ton of yards after the catch.
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Safeties (5)
- Starters: Marcus Epps, Tre’von Moehrig
- Backups: Chris Smith II, Roderic Teamer, Isaiah Pola-Mao
Though they play different positions, Pola-Mao replaces Webb on the final depth chart. The former had a solid showing in the preseason finale, logging four tackles (three solo).
As a bigger safety, Pola-Mao may get looks at linebacker to help shore up that group. He moved around the formation through the preseason, so defensive coordinator Patrick Graham likely values his versatility.
You may ask why Teamer makes the roster. He’s similar to Bolden, with his contributions heavily tied to special teams work.
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Special Teams (3)
- Kicker: Daniel Carlson
- Punter: AJ Cole
- Long snapper: Jacob Bobenmoyer
Everyone should know the three-man special teams lineup. Carlson and Cole have become a top-tier kicking duo. As the replacement for Trent Sieg, Bobenmoyer joins the kicking pair for his first year in Las Vegas.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.