The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have time to worry about a winless preseason. They have until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday to whittle their roster to 53 players.
During the Raiders’ final preseason game, general manager Tom Telesco said he wants to improve the depth across the roster, which isn’t saying much.
However, based on their performances in the exhibition contests, the Raiders need more experience in the secondary, specifically at cornerback, and more beef up front to stop the run.
Also, don’t be surprised if they sign a tackle for veteran insurance on the perimeter.
As teams announce final cuts ahead of the deadline, let’s take some guesses as to how the Raiders roster could shake out by Tuesday afternoon.
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Quarterbacks (3)
- Starter: Gardner Minshew
- Backups: Aidan O’Connell, Nathan Peterman
The Raiders announced that Minshew will be their starting quarterback. So, they left little guessing work at this position, though the coaching staff must decide whether to keep two or three signal-callers.
Last year, the Chicago Bears only rostered two quarterbacks under Luke Getsy, but Peterman’s knowledge of the system holds value as an emergency third signal-caller. Getsy may not want to risk another team poaching him off the practice squad.
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Running backs (4)
- Starters: Zamir White
- Backups: Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube
The Raiders’ running back pecking order isn’t hard to figure out. White will likely lead the team in carries after a strong finish to the previous campaign. Mattison probably splits early-down touches with White and sees some targets in the short passing game.
Abdullah is a trustworthy third-down tailback who also contributes on special teams. He forced a fumble in the Raiders’ second preseason game with the Dallas Cowboys.
Last week, Laube fumbled, but the rookie sixth-rounder has flashed enough at practices to make the roster.
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Wide receivers (6)
- Starters: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker
- Backups: DJ Turner, Kristian Wilkerson, Tyreik McAllister
Adams, Meyers and Tucker are locks. Turner didn’t play in the Raiders’ last preseason game, which is an indication that he’s made the roster.
Wilkerson, McAllister, Jalen Guyton and Ramel Keyton may have been battling for two spots. Last year, under Getsy, the Bears kept six wide receivers. Within that unit, Velus Jones Jr. primarily returned kicks and only saw seven targets on offense for the 2023 season.
The Raiders could keep Wilkerson and McAllister. Though the former made more plays as a pass-catcher in the exhibition games, the latter could be the primary kick and punt returner.
Throughout the preseason, McAllister helped the offense start with good field position, and he made a strong case to make the roster with 138 return yards and two touchdowns (one punt return and one receiving) last week.
With new kickoff rules that encourage more returns, McAllister’s skill set is more valuable to a Raiders team that could struggle to score points this year.
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Tight ends (3)
- Starters: Brock Bowers
- Backups: Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant
The Raiders may have the league’s best tight end group with so much potential between Bowers and Mayer.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders have “big plans” for Bowers. Mayer could be a strong complement to Bowers’ in Getsy’s tight-end friendly offense. Bryant is a reliable blocker who can supplement the offensive line if necessary.
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Offensive line (9)
- Starters: Kolton Miller, Cody Whitehair, Andre James, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford Jr.
- Backups: DJ Glaze, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Will Putnam, trade/free-agent acquisition (offensive tackle)
This group features four familiar faces in the starting lineup. Parham slides from the left to the right side, and Munford holds off Glaze for the starting spot at right tackle.
Powers-Johnson missed most of training camp, so he’ll open the season in a backup role with the opportunity to eventually take over for Whitehair at left guard.
Peat struggled at left tackle during the preseason, giving up four pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, but he’s played most of his career snaps at guard. The Raiders could cut him and keep Putnam, an undrafted rookie who showed some fight (literally) at practice.
Head coach Antonio Pierce probably liked to see Putnam get feisty in the heat of competition. The Raiders keep him in place of Peat and add a veteran tackle.
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Defensive line (9)
- Starters: Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, Malcolm Koonce
- Backups: Adam Butler, Tyree Wilson, Nesta Jade Silvera, Janarius Robinson, trade/free-agent acquisition (nose tackle)
Look out for the first surprise within this group. The Raiders cut Young, a 2023 third-rounder, who struggled through most of the preseason before making a few plays late in last week’s game with the San Francisco 49ers. In this scenario, the team would likely retain Young on the practice squad.
Among the backups, Silvera makes the roster, and the Raiders sign a veteran nose tackle to help shore up their issues against the run.
Linebackers (5)
- Starters: Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo,
- Backups: Luke Masterson, Amari Gainer, Amari Burney,
- Tommy Eichenberg (injured reserve)
Pierce spoke highly of Eichenberg, but the rookie fifth-rounder didn’t play a snap in the preseason because of an injury. He may land on injured reserve, which opens up a spot for undrafted rookie Amari Gainer, who played exceptionally well against the 49ers.
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Cornerbacks (6)
- Starters: Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs
- Backups: Decamerion Richardson, Woo Governor, trade/free-agent acquisition
Telesco must acquire a cornerback via trade or free-agent signing to bolster depth behind the starters. Bennett didn’t have much competition for the No. 2 spot on the boundary because Brandon Facyson couldn’t stay healthy enough to challenge him.
With Facyson out, the Raiders need an experienced veteran with a couple of rookies in Richardson and Governor in backup roles.
That said, Governor may have earned his spot as the backup slot cornerback. He made some stops and didn’t give up any back-breaking plays in coverage during the preseason.
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Safeties (5)
- Starters: Marcus Epps, Tre’von Moehrig
- Backups: Chris Smith II, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Jaydon Grant
Grant is the only new name in this unit, but the fanbase should get to know him. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 47.9 passer rating in coverage, lining up in the slot and more so in both safety spots.
With rookie seventh-rounder Trey Taylor banged up, Grant took full advantage of his opportunities in a versatile role.
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Special teams (3)
- Kicker: Daniel Carlson
- Punter: AJ Cole
- Long snapper: Jacob Bobenmoyer
The Raiders’ special teams unit remains steady with one of the league’s top kicker-punter duos. With the Silver and Black, Carlson has made 89.4 percent of his field-goal attempts. Cole is coming off his third Pro Bowl year and second All-Pro campaign.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.