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Raiders 2021 roster cut tracker
By Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET, the Raiders will have to cut down their roster from 80 players to 53. That means a lot of talented players are going to hit the open market in the next several hours. To help keep track of all the roster moves, this will be your go-to page for all of the cuts the Raiders make today.
This is a page that will update frequently, so be sure to bookmark it and continue to refresh all day long.
[lawrence-newsletter]
Highlighting one fantasy football sleeper from each NFL team.
Ballers & Busters for Raiders preseason Week 3 vs. 49ers
Sunday was the final dress rehearsal for the Raiders. And for many players, it was their last chance to make a strong impression in their push to earn a spot on the roster.
There wasn’t much in the way of great impressions in this one. The Raiders were handled from start to finish by the 49ers and lost 34-10. It must be noted that the 49ers had their actual starters in the game early on and kept potential starting QB Trey Lance in the game into the third quarter. But if the Raiders want to prove they have depth, they need to be able to hang with those guys and they simply didn’t.
That being said, there were some diamonds in the rough, so we’ll start there as per usual.
The former top pick by the Raiders returns after a year away in Cleveland. He is in line to be the next man up at either safety spot and could be shooting to prove to his coaches that he deserves a chance to start at some point. His performance in this game should help those efforts greatly.
On the first drive, the 49er’s first-team offense cut through the Raiders fringe roster lineup like a hot knife through butter. There were only two plays on the drive that were stopped for less than four yards and one of them was Joseph making the tackle on first and goal from the five to stop a run at two yards.
It was a similar story on the second drive, with Joseph making two more run stops including one for two yards. And again, on the 49er’s third scoring drive, they were in first and goal at the five and Joseph made a tackle for a loss on a broken play.
That drive ended in a field goal. So too did the 49er’s final drive of the first half, thanks to Joseph knocking down a pass for the end zone with a few seconds left on the clock. And just to round things off, Joseph also had a tackle on special teams too. Welcome back, Karl.
Remember how I said on the first two drives, there were only a couple of plays that were stopped for a short gain or no gain? Well, the other two stops were Arnette defending passes. That’s a strong day considering he only played 26 snaps, which was the first three drives and he was taken out by midway through the second quarter.
Twice on the 49er’s second drive, Robertson made a play that put them in third down. The first time he ran his receiver’s route for him on a deep and cut him off so it fell incomplete. The second time was a play in which Robertson chased down a run out right to stop it for two yards.
He was part of two more stops on the 49er’s final drive of the first half to help hold them to a field goal. Robertson also had an outstanding gunner tackle on a punt return to stop them at the 16-yard-line. A facemask on the 49ers would start their drive at the 8-yard-line. He led the team with two special teams tackles.
The Raiders scored twice in this game. Both drives featured long catches by Stoner. He had a 27-yard catch on their field goal drive early in the second quarter and a 32-yard catch on third and 15 on their touchdown drive in the third quarter. He would lead all receivers in the game with three catches for 69 yards.
[lawrence-newsletter]
Raiders CB Nate Hobbs finishes preseason as PFF’s highest graded non-first round rookie
Sometimes we can feel like we’re in a bubble with our opinions on the players that suit up for the Raiders. For that, it’s good to see how some of those players stack up against their peers.
Take Nate Hobbs for instance. The fifth-round rookie is the hot name on the Raiders right now after putting together what appears to have been an outstanding preseason. And apparently it wasn’t just outstanding when compared to other Raiders players. It was outstanding period.
Pro Football Focus posted their highest graded non-first round rookies and atop the list was Hobbs. He was the only one with a grade in the 90s (90.7).
Highest-graded non 1st-RD defenders in #NFL preseason
1. Nate Hobbs, Raiders CB – 90.7
2. Elijah Sullivan, 49ers LB – 89.9
3. Jonathon Cooper, Broncos ED – 88.6
4. Elijah Molden, Titans CB – 85.7 pic.twitter.com/qRIBzpsuQg— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 30, 2021
Hobbs put together a solid all-around preseason, ticking boxes in nearly every statistical category. He had one interception, two pass breakups, six tackles (five solo), two tackles for loss, one sack, and one QB hit.
Along with the things that show up in the box score, Hobbs showed himself to be an instinctive player with a willingness and ability to get stops on the ground as well as make plays in coverage. He won the team’s nickel corner job outright, which is impressive for a day three pick rookie.
Could the Raiders trade DE Clelin Ferrell before cutdown?
The Raiders finally have depth on the defensive line for the first time in several years. They have multiple quality EDGE rushers who can both get to the quarterback and play the run. But is it possible that they could trade one of their pass rushers for help elsewhere?
In the team’s final preseason game against the 49ers, the Raiders’ broadcast team made a quick comment that teams have called about a trade for Clelin Ferrell. They also mentioned that wide receiver John Brown could be available via trade due to their depth at receiver. While the broadcast made it clear the team wasn’t shopping either player, they weren’t turning down calls, either.
It’s not the first time this has been suggested as Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote about a possible trade last week. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about Ferrell:
“For the Las Vegas Raiders, 2019 fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby has outperformed 2019 No. 4 overall pick, Clelin Ferrell. Crosby, big-money free-agent acquisition Yannick Ngakoue and solid complementary rusher Carl Nassib could form a solid trio on the edge for a Vegas team that just might not need Ferrell at this point.”
With the team also high on third-round pick Malcolm Koonce, it is possible that the Raiders would explore calls for Ferrell if the price was right. They would likely need another starting-caliber defensive tackle or a proven outside cornerback.
But with the Raiders spending the No. 4 pick on Ferrell during the 2019 draft, it makes more sense to just hold onto him and use him as a rotational player. He has more value backing up Crosby and Ngakoue while playing inside at defensive tackle during passing downs.
Expect the Raiders to keep Ferrell unless they are blown away by an offer over the next few days.
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[lawrence-newsletter]
Raiders TE Darren Waller finishes as No. 45 player on ESPN’s top-100 list
The NFL Network revealed their top-100 players of 2021 last week, so of course, ESPN had to share their list too. But instead of polling players, ESPN’s beat writers and national writers took on this difficult challenge.
The Raiders only had one player inside of the top-100 and that was tight end Darren Waller. He ranked as the third-best tight end in the league, only behind Travis Kelce and George Kittle. However, Waller has closed the gap some on Kittle in recent years, outproducing him in back-to-back seasons.
ESPN was very complimentary of Waller, calling him one of the best-receiving weapons in the NFL. Here is what the site had to say about the No. 45 player on their list:
“A nagging ankle injury sidelined Waller for two weeks of camp, but the Raiders were going to err on the side of caution with their Pro Bowler, who is, at worst, among the top three tight ends in the NFL. On one hand, Waller is not going to sneak up on anyone after consecutive monster seasons. On the other, he doesn’t have to, with his receiver speed, soft hands and the undying trust of QB Derek Carr.”
While Waller did post another 1,100-yard season in 2020, it’s what he did in the final eight games of the season that have so many people excited. In the last two months of the season, Waller averaged over 100 yards per game and 0.6 touchdowns. While that sort of pace is likely unsustainable, it did appear he was really starting to figure out how to play the position.
Heading into his third full season as a tight end, the expectations for Waller couldn’t be higher. Look for him to be their leading receiver once again and challenge Travis Kelce for the most receptions and yards by a tight end this season.
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[lawrence-newsletter]
QB Nathan Peterman takes all but one snap for Raiders during preseason
Usually in the preseason, teams will use three, four and sometimes as many as five quarterbacks in the preseason. It’s the time of the year when teams want to see as many different players as possible at every position. But for the Raiders, that certainly wasn’t the case.
Nathan Peterman took all but one snap (Case Cookus) for the Raiders throughout the entire preseason. He played the entire game against the 49ers in the third week of the preseason, completing 18 of 29 passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Peterman needed every snap as he is competing to make the roster as the third tight end. Unfortunately, the overall results weren’t that impressive. While he did throw for 596 yards, he did throw four interceptions and only two touchdowns. He wasn’t able to consistently throw the ball down the field and his completion percentage was less than ideal.
With Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota as the top two quarterbacks on the roster, Peterman’s spot on the roster is certainly up for debate. But if the Raiders do decide to move on from the former fifth-round pick, it will be tough to argue about it considering his lackluster performance in three straight games.
Teams must cut their roster down to 53 by Tuesday at 4:00 PM ET and it will be fascinating to see if Peterman has done enough to justify staying on the team.
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Raiders DT Gerald McCoy shines vs. 49ers in first game since 2019
If you were to look at the box score, you wouldn’t have even noticed that Gerald McCoy played. He did not register a tackle or a sack, but anyone who watched the game knew how good he was.
All game long, McCoy was in the backfield, creating havoc. On multiple occasions, he beat his man off the snap and created disruption that would ultimately hinder the offense.
After the game, head coach Jon Gruden sang McCoy’s praises and it appears that he will be the team’s Week 1 starter when they take on the Baltimore Ravens.
#Raiders head coach Jon Gruden on Gerald McCoy
It was just great to see him out there…I thought this was a really good step in the right direction for him. Really positive results I think
— Jesse Merrick (@JesseNews3LV) August 29, 2021
McCoy is going to be a part of a heavy rotation at defensive tackle for the Raiders. And at the age of 33, that only makes sense. He no longer can play 80-90 percent of the snaps, but he can provide a high-quality amount of snaps as both a run defender and pass rusher in the right defense.
For a player that hasn’t seen the field since the end of the 2019 season, McCoy looked really good on Sunday afternoon. And that should be a great sign for Raiders fans and company for their defensive line depth.
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[lawrence-newsletter]
Raiders vs 49ers: Time, TV schedule, odds, streaming, how to watch
After back-to-back games against the NFC West, the Raiders will finish their preseason slate against the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders, like the previous two weeks, are not expected to play any starters in this game. That means that Nathan Peterman is set to start and finish this game once again.
However, there are still several players on the roster battling for jobs and playing time. While we won’t see the likes of Derek Carr and Darren Waller, that doesn’t mean this game won’t be entertaining. Look for players like Nate Hobbs, Malcolm Koonce and several other young players to see a big amount of snaps in this game.
To get you prepared for the game, here is everything you need to know about this matchup:
What: Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) at. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
When: Sunday, August 29 at 4:00 p.m. E.T.
Where: Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco, California
Radio: 95.7
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Odds: Raiders +5.5
Referee: Scott Novak
TV: NFL Network
Announcing Crew: Brent Musburger, Lincoln Kennedy
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[lawrence-newsletter]
QB Nathan Peterman set to go start to finish for Raiders entire preseason
Preseason was a bit different this year. It was shortened by one game while the season was lengthened by one game. For the Raiders it was different than most. Or at least it was at the quarterback position. Because while most teams are putting two and three quarterbacks on the field for any given contest, the Raiders are about to go wire-to-wire with the same quarterback — Nathan Peterman.
There are two other quarterbacks on the roster. And at one time there were four. Thus far only one snap has been taken by someone other than Nathan Peterman. It was Case Cookus who took the final snaps of the team’s preseason opener against the Seahawks — a handoff to full back Garrett Groshek.
Jon Gruden made the decision not to play Derek Carr at all in the first two preseason games and Marcus Mariota has not been full healthy, so he hasn’t stepped on the field either. From the sounds of it, that will be the case for the team’s final preseason game at San Francisco Sunday.
“I don’t want to play him in the preseason until we get the [go ahead],” said Gruden of Mariota. “There’s a conversation I have with the trainer before every game and I don’t want to play him if he isn’t 100%. His style of play doesn’t really allow that. At least in the preseason. I don’t want him cutting it loose. So, he’s questionable for the game. He’s going to be available on an emergency basis, but right now Peterman will start and Peterman will finish until I get better information.”
So, if you, like me, were hoping to see at least Marcus Mariota take the field, if not Derek Carr, at some point this preseason, you’re out of luck. Gruden has said he saw all he needed to see from his established veteran starters in their scrimmages with the Rams last week, so the first time this season any of use will see Carr or Mariota in a game will be the season opener on Monday Night Football September 13.
Until then, enjoy the Nate Peterman show.
