Las Vegas Raiders notebook: Is veteran WR about to be cut? How the 53-man roster shapes up
UPDATE: Raiders waived TE Matt Bushman, G Lester Cotton Sr., DT Matt Dickerson, WR Keelan Doss, RB B.J. Emmons, DE Gerri Green, RB Garrett Groshek, T Devery Hamilton, CB Isaiah Johnson, G/T Jaryd Jones-Smith, S Dallin Leavitt, C Jimmy Morrissey, OL Jeremiah Poutasi, RB Trey Ragas, LB Max Richardson, DT Niles Scott, WR Dillon Stoner, WR DJ Turner and DL Kendal Vickers. Released WR John Brown, TE Derek Carrier, S Karl Joseph, G/T Patrick Omameh, CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson; Waived/Injured LB Asmar Bilal and TE Alex Ellis; Placed CB Nevin Lawson on the reserve/suspended list.
ORIGINAL STORY: It is decision time for Jon Gruden and the rest of the Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff.
With the exhibition schedule complete, the initial 53-man roster deadline is set for 1 p.m. PDT Tuesday. The next day, the staff will put together a 16-man practice squad — a contingency that the NFL implemented last season because of COVID-19.
Gruden on Sunday left his starters behind in Las Vegas and brought players fighting for roster spots to Santa Clara for the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers.
Among those on the bubble is eighth-year wide receiver John Brown, whom the Raiders signed in the offseason to a one-year deal.
Here’s one take on how the roster and depth chart will shake out.
Raiders’ 53-man projections
Offense
WR: Henry Ruggs III, Dillon Stoner
LT: Kolton Miller, Brandon Parker
LG: Richie Incognito, John Simpson
C: Andre James, Nick Martin
RG: Denzelle Good, Patrick Omameh
RT: Alex Leatherwood, Devery Hamilton
TE: Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Derek Carrier
WR: Bryan Edwards, Zay Jones
WR: Hunter Renfrow, Willie Snead IV
QB: Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Nathan Peterman
RB: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Trey Ragas
FB: Alec Ingold
Quick takes: No major surprises, with the starters pretty much set even before the exhibitions began. ... Brown, in this configuration, is among the cuts. Now 31, he was slowed by injuries in camp and couldn’t really show what he has left in the tank. Stoner, an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State, sticks and has shown an ability since college to play outside and in the slot. He had three catches for 69 yards against San Francisco; Brown had one for 2 yards. ... Ragas, another UDFA, completed an impressive exhibition run Sunday, with nine carries for 39 yards vs. the 49ers..
Defense
DE: Yannick Ngakoue, Carl Nassib, Malcolm Koonce
NT: Johnathan Hankins, Gerald McCoy
DT: Quinton Jefferson, Solomon Thomas
DE: Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell
SLB: Tanner Muse, Asmar Bilal
MLB: Nick Kwiatkoski, Denzel Perryman
WLB: Cory Littleton, Divine Deablo
LCB: Trayvon Mullen Jr.
RCB: Casey Hayward Jr., Damon Arnette
CB: Nate Hobbs, Amik Robertson
FS: Tre’von Moehrig
SS: Johnathan Abram, Karl Joseph, Tyree Gillespie
P: AJ Cole
K: Daniel Carlson
LS: Trent Sieg
Quick takes: Again, no major shocks here. ... CB Nevin Lawson was the last close call, but he was beaten in coverage several times Sunday. ... The heat is on this side of the ball after its continued struggles in 2020, with rookie fifth-rounder Hobbs and a rejuvenated McCoy among the reasons for optimism headed into the opener Sept. 13 against Baltimore on Monday Night Football.
Of note: Linebackers Nicholas Morrow (ankle), Javin White (knee) and running back Jalen Richard (foot) figure to start the year on injured reserve.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 4:52 PM.
