Moe Moton
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ new coaching staff shuffled position groups, which led to the departure of several key players from last year’s team, but it also created opportunities for others. Will Putnam was a beneficiary, Laki Tasi made a strong impression and Thomas Harper didn’t fit. Raiders Daily breaks down a few players who will provide depth this year.
Jordan Meredith’s Move to Center Opened Up a Spot for Will Putnam
Beat reporters saw one particular move as a shocker on cutdown day, though in a positive way.
In response to a query in his weekly mailbag, the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Vincent Bonsignore shared his biggest surprise.
“It was a surprise that center Will Putnam made the team,” Bonsignore wrote. “But the undrafted free agent out of Clemson, who spent last year on the Raiders’ practice squad, deserved to.”
Levi Edwards of Raiders.com filled in the blanks as to why Putnam made the initial 53-man roster.
“The decision is a chain effect of Jordan Meredith switching from guard to center,” Edwards wrote. “With all signs pointing to Meredith starting and Jackson Powers-Johnson being placed at right guard, it opened up the need for a backup center.
Based on that theory, you can forget about Powers-Johnson sliding back over to center if Meredith struggles at the pivot. Unless Meredith and Putnam suffer injuries, it’s clear his future with the club is at guard for the foreseeable future.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 301 pounds on the team’s official website, Putnam has a body type similar to Meredith, who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 301 pounds. For context, Powers-Johnson is billed at 6-foot-3, 325 pounds, and Dylan Parham has bulked up to 332 pounds.
Clearly, a player’s size plays a factor in his potential role on the Raiders offensive line.
Read: NFL Predictions 2025: Projecting Win-Loss Records for All 32 NFL Teams
Laki Tasi Handled Early Position Switch Well
According to Raiders.com’s Rachel Gossen, Laki Tasi met with general manager John Spytek and defensive line coach Rob Leonard, but the coaching staff almost immediately moved him to the offensive line group, which required the former Rugby player to make a quick adjustment.
“Though he’d been learning how to play defensive line, Pete Carroll and the coaching staff felt his raw talent would be better on the offensive line, meaning he now had even more to learn,” Gossen wrote.
Tasi took the transition in stride, though he had some expected hiccups along the way. Meredith recalls the 6-foot-6, 373-pounder learning on the fly.
“He’s developed a bunch,” Jordan Meredith said. “I mean, seeing him from day one, he’s never played football before, so coming in and learning what a Ron-Lou is, or whatever the play call is, and then now, like he would go the wrong direction and now he’s out there – you guys all watched the film probably or saw the game – just [to] see him go out there and dominate the way he did was awesome.”
Las Vegas cut Tasi, but he cleared waivers, and the team signed him to the practice squad.
The 21-year-old played in his first football game in Week 1 of the preseason but looked the part in two of the three exhibition contests. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed two pressures, both in the outing against the Arizona Cardinals.
Though Tasi has a long developmental pathway in front of him before he sees regular-season action, the Raiders have plenty of time to develop his skill set as a future guard.
Read: 3 Free Agents Who Can Strengthen the Las Vegas Raiders Roster Ahead of Season Opener
Lions Claimed Safety Thomas Harper Off Waivers
After the cutdown deadline, Las Vegas waived Thomas Harper, and the Detroit Lions claimed him on Friday.
Despite recording 26 tackles, two pass breakups, an interception and a half-sack in 15 contests (five starts) last year, Harper fell behind Chris Smith II in the pecking order at safety.
Smith is primed to take on a part-time starting role in nickel formation when safety Jeremy Chinn moves into the slot. Harper will try to find his way in the Motor City.
Under Carroll, the Raiders have replaced multiple defensive backs who are under 6 feet tall with taller defenders. At 5-foot-10, 197 pounds, Smith is an exception, though the Raiders essentially replaced Harper (5-foot-10, 189 lbs) with former Philadelphia Eagles safety Tristin McCollum (6-foot-3, 195 lbs), whom they claimed off waivers.
Read: Raiders Daily: No. 2 Cornerback Rotations for Week 1, Eagles Castoff Claimed
Based on his measurements, Harper wasn’t a system fit with Carroll’s influence on the defense. Don’t be surprised if Smith loses his roster spot when Lonnie Johnson Jr. (6-foot-2, 221 lbs) recovers from a broken fibula.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
