We have the Raiders initial 53-man roster. And with it there are some interesting observations. Let’s look into a few of those which stood out to me.
1. Just two quarterbacks
Some teams have opted to carry three quarterbacks on the roster. Others have gone with just two, essentially placing their third quarterback on the practice squad. The Raiders chose the latter. Most likely they will bring back either Carter Bradley or Nathan Peterman to be that third QB. But if another QB comes available they like, who knows.
2. Young potential at WR over vererans
Kristian Wilkerson seemed like a shoo-in to make the Raiders roster. But he and Jalen Guyton were both cut in favor of a couple young players who showed a lot of potential. Tyreik McAllister showed elite speed and kick return abilities while undrafted rookie Ramel Keyton showed great skills and length as a receiver. We will wait to see if they are both still on the roster after whomever the Raiders add off waivers, but they are here now over Wilkerson and Guyton, and that says a lot.
3. Versatility on the OL
Nine offensive linemen are on the Raiders squad. Almost all of them play multiple positions. Cody Whitehair, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Dyland Parham can all play both center and guard. Andrus Peat can play guard and tackle. And Thayer Munford and DJ Glaze can play either tackle spot in a pinch.
4. Glut of linebackers
Seven linebackers is a lot. Like a LOT lot. Mainly because we aren’t in the age of a middle linebacker and two outside linebackers any more. In most cases there will be just two linebackers on the field at any given time. So, at most five linebackers is needed. My hunch is one or two of them will be headed for IR with designation to return and perhaps one waived with the hope for a return to the practice squad. If it’s IR, then Tommy Eichenberg and/or Amari Burney would be the likely candidates as both got banged up this preseason.
5. Roster unsettled
Did I mention there are SEVEN linebackers? That will not stay that way. See the above for how that could go down. There’s also five defensive tackles and six cornerbacks despite Antonio Pierce’s displeasure with the preseason performances by the depth at both positions.
The two DT’s who made it on the end of the roster are last year’s draft picks Byron Young and Nesta Jade Silvera. Likewise both rookie cornerbacks made it along with Brandon Facyson who can’t seem to get healthy, making for another candidate for temporary IR.
So, you can see several positions that could see moves made as the team welcomes a few waiver claims.
