Moe Moton
The Las Vegas Raiders made a couple of moves to bolster their practice squad, adding two players who could eventually be on the 53-man roster. They also waived a couple of youngsters who could draw interest from other clubs. Raiders Daily assesses the team’s latest roster moves and where the newcomers could fit on the depth chart.
Raiders Add Linebacker Brian Asamoah II to the Practice Squad
Even with six linebackers on the active roster, the Raiders aren’t done stacking players at the position. They added Brian Asamoah II to the group.
Asamoah is a notable addition because he’s a 2022 third-round pick out of Oklahoma who was a core special teamer with the Minnesota Vikings. Over the last three seasons, he’s played at least 61 percent of snaps as part of the special teams unit.
In Minnesota, Asamoah didn’t crack the starting rotation, appearing in 46 outings as a backup linebacker.
Nonetheless, the fourth-year pro has a pathway to see the field with the Raiders defense. He’s more athletic and agile than any of the other linebackers on the roster. At 25, the 6-foot, 226-pounder is younger than Germaine Pratt (29), Elandon Roberts (31), Devin White (27) and Jamal Adams (29).
If the Raiders want to add youth and speed to the second level of their defense, they could call up Asamoah to the main roster. Because of his size, quickness and coverage skills, he’s best suited to play weak-side linebacker and attack the pocket as a blitzer.
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Quarterback Jeff Driskel Could Be Promoted to Active Roster
In addition to Brian Asamoah, Las Vegas added Jeff Driskel to the practice squad. Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Vincent Bonsignore believes the 10th-year signal-caller could be the team’s emergency quarterback on game day.
As Bonsignore noted, the Raiders would have to elevate Driskel to the active roster for him to serve as the emergency quarterback. If they do, it’s an indication the coaches don’t trust rookie sixth-rounder Cam Miller to fill in for Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett if neither of the two is available to take the field.
After a solid preseason debut, Miller struggled with a costly turnover and inaccuracies. Still, Las Vegas felt he’s worth developing on the practice squad, but Driskel is more trustworthy in a difficult in-game spot coming off the sideline due to his experience.
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Raiders Waive Safety Trey Taylor, Linebacker Matt Jones
To make room for Brian Asamoah and Jeff Driskel, the Raiders waived Trey Taylor and undrafted rookie Matt Jones.
As a rookie last year, Taylor suited up for nine games and played 57 percent of the snaps on special teams. He earned recognition as the best defensive back in college football, winning the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award. The 24-year-old could catch on elsewhere.
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This year, Jones went undrafted out of Baylor. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded five tackles in three preseason contests. The rookie linebacker didn’t do enough to solidify a spot on the practice squad with Asamoah available, though. Jones could also find a home with another squad as a developmental player.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
