Tag: latest Raiders news

5 Raiders who will attempt to fill shoes of Maxx Crosby and other missing starters vs Browns

Some players are simply not replaceable. Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams are two such players. But the Raiders are in the position right now where they have no choice but to try and replace their roles in the lineup because both stars are OUT for …

Some players are simply not replaceable. Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams are two such players. But the Raiders are in the position right now where they have no choice but to try and replace their roles in the lineup because both stars are OUT for Sunday’s game against the Browns.

Here are the players who will be asked to step up in the absence of the missing Raiders starters.

Replacing: Davante Adams (hamstring)

When the Raiders want to make a play downfield, they usually look to either Davante Adams or Tre Tucker. The two are very different kinds of receivers, but in their own ways are capable of being a deep threat for this team. Tucker does it with pure speed. Adams does it was route running and savvy.

It doesn’t matter how it happens, it just has to happen. Or at least the threat of it must be there. Tucker has been the third receiver on this team all season, behind Adams and Jakobi Meyers. Now Tucker will step up and start on the outside, attempting to fill the void left by Adams’s absence.

Stepping up to fill the shoes of Tucker in the slot will be DJ Turner.

Replacing: Michael Mayer (personal)

Mayer has been a co-starter this season along with rookie Brock Bowers. He’s also been the primary blocking tight end. Harrison Bryant has been the third tight end on this team this season, though he’s only played 14 snaps on offense. The former Browns tight end was a priority free agent signing this offseason, and initially was expected to be the team’s number two tight end. That was until they had Brock Bowers fall into their lap in the draft and the team made other plans.

Replacing: Thayer Munford (knee/ankle)

Munford was lost on the second snap of last Sunday’s game and didn’t return. Coming in for him was DJ Glaze. The third round rookie had impressed in camp and was considered a viable option to step in at right tackle right away. And just two games into the season, that’s what he was asked to do. He played well in his debut last Sunday. He will be asked to do it again.

Replacing: Maxx Crosby (ankle)

Replacing might not be the right word here. No one is replacing Crosby on this team. He is the heart, soul, and motor of this Raiders defense. We saw that last week when his ankle had him not quite himself and missing quite a few snaps. As a result, Andy Dalton had a field day and the Raiders gave up 36 points to the Panthers.

Wilson’s 34 snaps (46%) was second among edge rushers as they mixed it up with Janarius Robinson, Charles Snowden, and Amari Gainer all getting a fair amount of snaps as well. The only edge rusher who was in the game on each of the 13 snaps Crosby missed was Wilson. Expect him to lead the edge rushers in snaps in this game with a healthy rotation to keep everyone fresh. I would also expect to see practice squad DE K’Lavon Chaisson activated and in that rotation.

Replacing: Divine Deablo (oblique)

Masterson started last Sunday’s game in place of Deablo as well. So, expect that to continue. The Raiders have a lot of linebackers on this team, but it’s really a matter of quantity more than quality. Most are relegated to special teams. The only ones who saw snaps last week other than the starters were Amari Gainer (10 snaps) and Tommy Eichenberg (five snaps).

Eichenberg is considered a middle linebacker, but with Robert Spillane playing every snap, the rookie was asked to play outside linebacker for his five snaps in the game. And Gainer spent all ten of his snaps lined up at edge rusher.

5 takeaways from Raiders 53-man roster

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 veterans and returning Raiders firmly on roster bubble

There are a lot of new faces in Raiders camp this year. And with new faces comes new competition to beat out familiar faces. Likewise there are a few veteran players on this team who could see their jobs taken by new blood. These are the ten …

There are a lot of new faces in Raiders camp this year. And with new faces comes new competition to beat out familiar faces. Likewise there are a few veteran players on this team who could see their jobs taken by new blood.

These are the ten returning Raiders and veterans most in danger of being on the outside looking in come roster cutdown day.

This eight-year veteran backup is only here because he’s familiar with Luke Getsy’s system. That only goes so far though. The team could very decide to keep only two quarterbacks on the active roster. And it wouldn’t take much for a more intriguing option to come available on the waiver wire.

Along with being injured through most of camp, this sixth year veteran just hasn’t looked special in his time on the field. Other than Tom Telesco knowing him from their time with the Chargers, Guyton doesn’t really offer anything invaluable to the team. They could be better off taking a chance on Tyreik McAllister or snagging a talented receiver on the waiver wire.

This sixth-year veteran appeared in one game for the Raiders last season. The Raiders would have to, first of all, keep four tight ends for him to stick. And second of all, he’d have to prove he is the best choice. And quite frankly Cole Fotheringham has looked better.

Meredith has been with the Raiders the past two seasons and appeared in 17 games last season. There is eight offensive lineman ahead of him, all of whom have a very good chance of making this roster. He is the one who will be sweating it out on Tuesday and probably Wednesday as well.

He appeared in just six games as a rookie, with no starts. Not exactly what you hope to get from a third round pick. He has admitted he had an attitude problem, which is commendable. But his level of play has not offered any indication that he has made a second year leap. He was on the field a lot in the finale, after which head coach Antonio Pierce was not at all pleased with the play of the interior line.

Nesta Jade Silvera was also in that 2023 class. He was selected in the seventh round. He was also on that line that was getting gashed on the ground against the 49ers. There has been an opening for someone to step up and be the fourth interior defensive lineman. Has he shown he can be that guy? I’m not sure he has.

Is it possible the Raiders could cut all three of these former drafted defensive tackles? Sure it is. Antonio Pierce made it clear that he will be looking to the waiver to try and improve the depth along the interior defensive line. There is a chance one of these three sticks on the initial 53, but it’s just as likely that will be a short stay in favor of a waiver claim.

This 2023 sixth round pick looked good at times this preseason. But he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Meanwhile undrated rookie Amari Gainer has looked great. If Burney doesn’t head for injured reserve, he may just lose out to Gainer.

Speaking of guys who can’t stay healthy. Facyson missed almost the entire 2023 season and now he’s been missing since early in camp. If the best ability is availability, the Raiders can’t hang onto him in the hopes that he can get healthy and stay that way. Either he heads to IR, or they give up on him and move on.

Smith has a fairly good chance of sticking around. But he’s down the depth chart far enough that he is in some danger here. The Raiders selected the Jim Thorpe Award winner Trey Taylor in this past draft, so you’d figure they’d like to hold onto him, making Smith potentially the fifth safety, providing they keep that many safeties on the initial 53.

See my full Raiders 53-man roster prediction

Raiders 53-man roster prediction ahead of cutdown date

Preseason has wrapped up and the cutdown date is just days away. Before that happens, though, let’s get one final prediction out there.

Preseason has wrapped up and the cutdown date is just days away. Before that happens, though, let’s get one final prediction out there.

IN: Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell

OUT: Nathan Peterman, Carter Bradley

IN: Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, Dylan Laube, Ameer Abdullah

OUT: Sincere McCormick, Brittain Brown

IN: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, DJ Turner, Kristian Wilkerson, Tyreik McAllister

OUT: Jalen Guyton, Alex Bachman, Terrell Bynum, Ramel Keyton, Tulu Griffin

IN: Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant, Cole Fotheringham

OUT: Zach Gentry, John Samuel Schenker

IN: Kolton Miller, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Andre James, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford, Andrus Peat, Cody Whitehair, DJ Glaze, Jordan Meredith

OUT: Jalen McKenzie, Andrew Coker, Ben Brown, Will Putnam, Clark Barrington, Dalton Wagner, Cotey Luciano

IN: Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, Adam Butler, Nesta Jade Silvera

OUT: Byron Young, Matthew Butler, Marquan McCall, Noah Shannon

IN: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Tyree Wilson, Janarius Robinson, Charles Snowden

OUT: Ron Stone Jr, TJ Franklin, David Agoha, Elerson Smith

IN: Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, Luke Masterson, Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer

OUT: Kana’i Mauga, Amari Burney, Fred Thompkins

IN: Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs, Brandon Facyson, Decamerion Richardson, MJ Devonshire

OUT: Woo Governor, Rayshad Williams, Cornell Armstrong, Ja’Quann Sheppard, Sam Webb

IN: Marcus Epps, Tre’von Moehrig, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Christopher Smith II, Trey Taylor

OUT: Jaydon Grant, Phalen Sanford, Tyreque Jones

5 Raiders Defensive Players to watch in Preseason finale vs 49ers

There are still some roster spots to be won, impressions to be made, and playing time to be earned. Each of these players will be out to make their presence felt on defense Friday night.

There are still some roster spots to be won, impressions to be made, and playing time to be earned. Each of these players will be out to make their presence felt on defense Friday night.

Jade Silvera has been behind Byron Young on the depth chart through the past two weeks. But when given the chance, Jade Silvera has looked better than Young. If he outshines Young again, it’s possible he could start taking snaps from Young, and possibly overtake him on the depth chart come the season.

Speaking of players passing up higher drafted players…The former fourth round defensive end has looked considerably better than Raiders second year former number four overall pick Tyree Wilson. At this point, Wilson only has his top pick potential getting him reps. But that only goes so far when a team has to think about which player gives them the best chance of getting to the quarterback when called upon.

Gainer is trying to get on this roster and has had an uphill battle to do it. He had a great preseason opener and didn’t do much in last week’s home opener against the Cowboys. Best two out of three?

With Brandon Facyson once again struggling to get healthy, this fourth round rookie could be the next man up after the three starters. They like his length, but is he ready to go should one of the starters go down? Or to be a dime back?

5 Raiders Offensive Players to watch in Preseason finale vs 49ers

The final preseason game will be the battle of those trying to fight their way up the depth chart and fight their way onto the roster. In that spirit, keep an eye on these five players on the offensive side of the ball.

The final preseason game will be the battle of those trying to fight their way up the depth chart and fight their way onto the roster. In that spirit, keep an eye on these five players on the offensive side of the ball.

A few years ago, Peterman was that player on the Raiders who they just couldn’t quit. He spent nearly four years with the team as the most non-threatening backup ever. Just the way Derek Carr needed him to be. Hence why he joined Carr with the Saints this past offseason. But even they ended up releasing him.

Now he’s back, reuniting with Luke Getsy who was his OC in Chicago for two seasons. Could be see Peterman take the field to start this game? It’s possible. If Getsy thinks Peterman has acclimated to the team enough over the past couple weeks since he arrived. And, more importantly, has Peterman improved at all since the last we saw him suit up for the Raiders?

The rookie back has yet to live up to the training camp hype with his preseason play. Often times players step up in the games after not showing much in practice. Antonio Pierce has said that won’t impress him much. But you’d have to figure the other must be true as well. He needs to show up in the preseason too. Not just against his teammates when they’re no allowed to tackle him to the ground.

Turner has been turning heads in both practice and in games. Every play he makes, he earns more and more confidence that he can be a serious weapon in this offense as well as on special teams.

The former Chargers speedster came over because he played under Tom Telesco for four seasons. But he hasn’t shown much. First he was injured through much of camp and now he just hasn’t stood out. He needs to do something in this game if he wants to get off the roster bubble.

This could be the longest look we have gotten so far of Glaze at right tackle. Despite looking good in camp, it has continued to be Thayer Munford who has taken the field as the team’s starter through the first two preseason games.

Raiders winners and losers in 27-12 preseason defeat vs. Cowboys

Raiders winners and losers in 27-12 preseason defeat vs. Cowboys

After an encouraging performance last week, the Raiders starting offense bogged down against the Cowboys’ second-team defense in Las Vegas on Saturday. The defense had its own struggles and the home team lost, 27-12 in a lackluster preseason ballgame.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew got the start and missed multiple opportunities to take a commanding lead in his battle for the starting QB job. That left the door open for QB Aidan O’Connell. He threw a touchdown pass to tight end Bryant in the Raiders’ first drive of the second half, but just as it appeared he would take charge in the QB competition, he threw a pick-6 to open the fourth quarter.

As for the defense, they allowed 114 rushing yards in the first half, despite playing most of their starters. Like the offense, they faced Cowboys backups.

Here are the winners and losers for the week after the Raiders dropped to 1-1 in the preseason.

Winner: WR Tre Tucker

The Raiders didn’t score many points on Saturday, but they found moderate success in the passing game.

Wide receiver Tre Tucker built on his strong showing last week and hauled in three catches for 66 yards, including a 48-yard grab on a throw from Minshew. Tucker also had a nifty 43-yard punt return. The second-year speedster continues to improve and could see a major role with the Las Vegas offense this year.

 

Winner: WR DJ Turner

Wide receiver DJ Turner continued his strong preseason, notching five catches for 31 yards. He was a security blanket for O’Connell as O’Connell led a long drive for Las Vegas to start the second half.

The Raiders are looking for depth at wideout, and with other reserves yet to make a huge impact, Turner appears ready to take on a larger role this year as well. He’s similar in stature to Tucker but is a little more shifty in space, providing some versatility to the back-end of the Raiders WR depth.

Loser: QB Gardner Minshew

Coach Antonio Pierce said he planned to name his starting quarterback after playing the Cowboys. Minshew played first and had every opportunity to take the job, especially because the Cowboys played their reserve defense.

Minshew started slow but appeared to rebound after his bomb to Tucker. He continued missing his receivers, however, and he made some risky throws that could have been interceptions.

Pierce played Minshew into the second quarter despite planning to switch to O’Connell at that time. Minshew went 3-and-out after remaining in the ball game, and after the Raiders special teams recovered a punt-return fumble, Minshew missed badly on a 4th-and-6 throw.

Loser: QB Aidan O’Connell

O’Connell looked solid after entering the game in the third quarter but failed to capitalize on Tucker’s punt return. In his defense, a questionable penalty on offensive lineman Jordan Meredith stalled the drive.

He led a long scoring drive in the third quarter that ended with a touchdown throw to tight end Harrison Bryant. At the moment, it appeared that O’Connell was about to take his starting job back.

But then he threw a pick-6 interception, giving the Cowboys a 20-12 advantage.

Coach Pierce expected to have answers at quarterback after this game, but he’s likely questioning both signal-callers after this effort.

Loser: OC Luke Getsy

Minshew wasn’t the only one to have an opportunity against Cowboys backups. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy had a chance to build on his offense’s strong showing last week but his unit was a dud in this ballgame. He was without star WR Davante Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers, but that’s no excuse.

Loser: Reserve defensive lineman

The Raiders’ defensive starters played a lot in the first half. It went fairly well until defensive lineman Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, and John Jenkins exited the game late in the second quarter.

As the rest of the Raiders starters remained in the game, Las Vegas’ reserve linemen were the weak link on a 14-play drive that ended with a touchdown toss by Cowboys QB Trey Lance. Raiders starting cornerback Jack Jones was beat on the play in one-on-one coverage.

Loser: DL Tyree Wilson

Former top-10 draft pick defensive lineman Tyree Wilson again flew under the radar in this game. He was most noticeable as he lost Lance in space on the edge near the goalline. Though he did assist DE Elerson Smith on a nice tackle on a shovel pass.

As it’s often said: this is just the preseason. But the Raiders need answers at quarterback and time is running out before the regular season. O’Connell looked better than Minshew in this game, but that’s not saying much.

It stands to reason that Pierce will hold off on naming a starter, but he may feel it’s too close to the regular season to leave his team in QB limbo and name a starter anyway.

Either way, this was not the performance the Raiders needed. The only thing left to do is have a good week of practice and try again in Week 3 of the preseason against the 49ers on Friday.

Raiders 53-man roster prediction after first preseason game

Preseason has begun. The Raiders wrapped up the remote part of training camp, and after a trip to Minnesota to face the Vikings to open the preseason, they are back in Las Vegas to prepare for the final two preseason matchups. With two weeks of camp …

Preseason has begun. The Raiders wrapped up the remote part of training camp, and after a trip to Minnesota to face the Vikings to open the preseason, they are back in Las Vegas to prepare for the final two preseason matchups.

With two weeks of camp practices and the first preseason game, let’s update that 53-man roster prediction, shall we.

IN: Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell

OUT: Anthony Brown, Carter Bradley

IN: Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, Dylan Laube, Ameer Abdullah

OUT: Sincere McCormick, Brittain Brown

IN: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Kristian Wilkerson, DJ Turner, Jalen Guyton

OUT: Alex Bachman, Keelan Doss, Terrell Bynum, Jeff Foreman, Ramel Keyton, Tyreik McAllister, Tulu Griffin

IN: Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant, Zach Gentry

OUT: John Samuel Schenker, Cole Fotheringham

IN: Kolton Miller, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Andre James, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford, Andrus Peat, Cody Whitehair, DJ Glaze, Jordan Meredith

OUT: Jalen McKenzie, Andrew Coker, Ben Brown, Will Putnam, Clark Barrington, Dalton Wagner, Cotey Luciano

IN: Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, Adam Butler, Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera

OUT: Matthew Butler, Marquan McCall, Noah Shannon

IN: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Tyree Wilson, Jenarious Robinson

OUT: Ron Stone Jr, TJ Franklin, Charles Snowden, David Agoha, Elerson Smith

IN: Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, Luke Masterson, Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Burney

OUT: Kana’i Mauga, Amari Gainer, Fred Thompkins

IN: Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs, Brandon Facyson, Decamerion Richardson, MJ Devonshire

OUT: Woo Governor, Rayshad Williams, Cornell Armstrong, Ja’Quann Sheppard, Sam Webb

IN: Marcus Epps, Tre’von Moehrig, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Christopher Smith II, Trey Taylor

OUT: Jaydon Grant, Phalen Sanford, Tyreque Jones

5 Raiders defensive position battles to watch in preseason opener in Minnesota

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from …

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from missing a beat.

With that in mind, here are the top five positions battles to watch when the Raiders take on the Vikings on Saturday.

Raiders 53-man roster prediction as camp moves to Week 2

Raiders 53-man roster prediction as camp moves to Week 2

We are one week into training camp. And while there is still much to be decided over the final five camp practices and the preseason, let’s go ahead and make a prediction about who will be on the 53-man roster based on what we have seen so far.