Raiders sign 2 to active roster, cut 2 ahead of Week 9

Friday the Raiders swapped out wide receivers and tight ends.

Friday the Raiders made a few roster moves, swapping out wide receivers and tight ends. Signed the to roster were WR Ramel Keyton and TE Justin Shorter. Waived were WR Tyreik McAllister and TE John Samuel Shenker.

Keyton was signed as an undrafted free agent this offseason. He impressed in training camp and preseason and spent all of this season on the team’s practice squad.

Shorter was a former fifth overall pick by the Buffalo Bills. He was among the team’s final roster cuts in August and has spent all season on the Raiders’ practice squad. He has been activated off the practice squad the past two weeks.

McAllister spent last season in the CFL, leading the league in return yardage. He returned a kick for a touchdown this preseason for the Raiders, earning him a roster spot.

Shenker has spent parts of the past two seasons with the Raiders and was the team’s number two tight end the past few weeks with Harrison Bryant injured. Bryant returns this week from his elbow injury.

Raiders re-sign rookie camp standout WR to practice squad

Raiders re-sign rookie camp standout to practice squad

Come the 53-man roster cutdown last month, Ramel Keyton was inside the bubble. A standout training camp and preseason earned the undrafted rookie a roster spot. But as often happens, other moves had to be made and Keyton ultimately lost a numbers game.

Keyton was waived Saturday before the Raiders Week 4 matchup with the Browns. He cleared waivers and today they re-signed him to the practice squad.

The former Tennessee wide receiver was opening some eyes in camp for the Raiders. And he made his first headlines with his standout performance in the team’s camp scrimmage.

Come their final preseason game, Keyton put his skills on display for the rest of the league, when he led the team with four catches for 76 yards. With the rest of the NFL taking notice, they felt they needed to hold onto him rather than risk another team scooping him up.

Bringing him back Monday allows them to continue to try and develop him.

Raiders make several roster moves ahead of Week 4 matchup with Browns

Raiders did some work to add depth to the roster when they face the Browns Sunday.

Due to a string of injuries at various positions for the Raiders, they shuffled around some players ahead of their game against the Browns on Sunday.

First, they signed John Samuel Shenker from the practice squad. Shenker spent the past two offseasons with the Raiders. His addition was to add depth with Michael Mayer not playing due to personal reasons.

In a corresponding move, the Raiders waived wide receiver Ramel Keyton who impressed in camp and preseason as an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee.

Since they still need depth at receiver due to Davante Adams not playing, they activated Alex Bachman from the practice squad. Bachman had been added to the offseason roster late in training camp.

Also getting a call up from the practice squad was DE K’Lavon Chaisson. He was signed to the practice squad a couple weeks ago in light of the season-ending injury to Malcolm Koonce. Now with Maxx Crosby expected to miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, the former first rounder gets the call up.

Raiders Week 3 inactives vs Panthers

These players won’t play in Raiders home opener vs the Panthers.

The inactives are out and there aren’t a lot of surprises among them.

https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1837923650126991517

LB Divine Deablo was ruled OUT on the final injury report with an oblique and concussion. Luke Masterson will start at linebacker in his place.

CB DeCamerion Richardson was Doubtful with a hamstring injury. The team activated Sam Webb to fill the depth issue.

RB Dylan Laube has been inactive all three games this season so far. They have three backs active in Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah.

Tyreik McAllister and Ramel Keyton being inactive is a numbers game. They have all of their wide receivers healthy.

Jordan Meredith being inactive is because rookie round two pick Jackson Powers-Johnson is playing in his first game of the season.

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.

Raiders keep CFL star and undrafted rookie WR on 53-man roster over two established veterans

Raiders keep CFL star and undrafted rookie WR on 53-man roster over two established veterans

One of the more shocking moves the Raiders made today was to cut Kristian Wilkerson. They also cut Jalen Guyton, making for two veteran receivers let go in favor of young hopefuls.

Making the Raiders initial 53-man roster instead are undrafted rookie Ramel Keyton and former CFL return specialist Tyreik McAllister.

Both players flashed in camp. With McAllister blowing everyone away in the final preseason game with an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown and a savvy touchdown catch.

Keyton had a few nice plays late in that game, showing the instincts and physical gifts he had displayed in the team’s scrimmage in camp.

In the end, the Raiders saw the two youngsters as too valuable to cut. Or at very least too risky to put on waivers in the hopes of getting either of them back on the practice squad.

Keyton showed talent that can be developed while McAllister showed return abilities that can be utilized right away.

There is still the question of what the Raiders do on the waiver wire. But for now, these two have broken through onto the roster, beating out two established veterans to do it.

Ballers for Raiders Preseason Week 3 vs 49ers

Ballers for Raiders Preseason Week 3 vs 49ers

One last preseason game to cover for Ballers & Busters.

Ballers

DE Janarius Robinson

Robinson has been turning heads all preseason. He finished strong too. His tackle for loss on a run was what killed the 49ers first drive. Keep in mind this was 49ers first teamers versus Raiders backups. Robinson made the big play that held them to a field goal.

Though the 49ers were able to score on their second drive, Robinson had a pressure that set up a sack on the drive. The next 49ers possession — with the first teamers still in the game — Robinson got pressure around the right edge to force a quick pass by Purdy that was deflected and picked off. That was Purdy’s last throw of the game.

He would get two more pressures in the game, including a QB hit on the second to last play of the game, resulting in an incompletion and preserving the tie.

DE Charles Snowden

Robinson’s tackle for loss was the big play on the 49ers first drive, but Snowden made sure of it. He chased down Purdy on second down to force an incompletion and on third down he came around the right edge and got his arms up to bat the pass at the line.

He ended a possession in the second quarter by making the tackle on third and four short of the sticks. Then he ended another drive when on third and 11, he came around the edge like a shot to sack the QB for a 13-yard loss.

Oh, and he even had the key block on the 81-yard punt return for a touchdown.

LB Amari Gainer

Gainer was a tackling machine in this one. His 12 combined tackles (10 solo) led the Raiders. Half of those tackles were for one yard or less, two were for a loss, and he even added a sack.

WR/PR Tyreik McAllister

McAllister burst onto the scene in the second quarter when he took a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. He saw his gap, made one cut, and was gone to the house.

The next time we saw him, he was getting downfield as the gunner, forcing a block in the back penalty on the 49ers.

In the third quarter, he began making his mark on offense. First he took a jet sweep for eight yards. Then he came back to make a brilliant catch on a pass well behind him, taking it away from the defender, then turning and scoring with it.

He added a 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter that put the Raiders in first and goal inside the ten. Giving him 58 yards of offense and 196 all purpose yards with two touchdowns. Have yourself a day, Tyreik.

S Phalen Sanford

The first two drives of the fourth quarter ended with Sanford plays. He recovered a fumble to start off the final quarter, and had coverage on an incompletion to end the second drive.

WR Ramel Keyton

He came on late in the game, showing his long arms and catching abilities. One particular catch, he leapt in the air and snagged it with one hand and a defender all over him. His four catches for 76 yards led the Raiders.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders preseason Week 1 vs Vikings: What to watch for

What to watch for in Raiders preseason opener in Minnesota

It’s game day. For the first time in over seven months, the Raiders take the field for a game. This first outing is their preseason opener in Minnesota.

The game will air on NFL Network at 1pm Pacific (3pm local, 4pm ET). You can see all the details of how to watch here.

For that, here are a few things to watch for.

Quarterback competition

This is the number one reason to tune in by a wide margin. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will each get a quarter of play. Antonio Pierce has not revealed who will take the field first, but the order will be flipped next week when the face the Cowboys in Las Vegas.

What does matter here is we could get to see one QB against Vikings starters and the other against backups and fringe players. As in most cases the expected starters play very little in the first preseason matchup, if at all.

This competition has been raging on through training camp and to anyone watching, Minshew has a clear lead between the two, if only a slight one. It’s not decisive, which is why O’Connell still has a chance to come charging back in the competition with his play in preseason and the remaining practices before the season begins.

Rookie standouts

Raiders fans are no doubt excited to get to see 13th overall pick Brock Bowers take the field for the first time. There are obviously high hopes for the decorated tight end out of Georgia and Napa California native. 

The rest of the class has some guys hoping to continue their fine play from the camp in the preseason. Including Round three tackle DJ Glaze, Round four cornerback Decamerion Richardson, Round five linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, Round six running back Dylan Laube, round seven CB MJ Devonshire, and undrafted receiver Ramel Keyton.

Kick returns

This year the kick returner job is far more exciting due to the new kickoff rules.For that reason, it will be very interesting to see how the Raiders handle it and specifically *who* handles it. The previously mentioned Dylan Laube figures to find a role there, but others have gotten work there as well, including Ameer Abdullah and even cornerback Jack Jones.

As far as how Daniel Carlson changes his kicking strategy, I would be surprised if he reveals much about that in this game. Best to keep it status quo before the games count. Gotta keep Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers guessing until the season opener.

Next men up

Often times the entrenched starters won’t play in the preseason opener. But some will not play for other reasons. Left tackle Kolton Miller is on the PUP list, as is rookie left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. Davante Adams was absent the last week of camp because he was home in Las Vegas awaiting the birth of his child.

Stepping up for those three will be three veterans: Andrus Peat (LT), Cody Whitehair (LG), and Kristian Wilkerson (WR).

Other game coverage:

How to watch Raiders preseason Week 2 vs Vikings

5 Raiders battles to watch on offense in preseason opener in Minnesota

5 Raiders battles to watch on offense in preseason opener in Minnesota

9 players who opened some eyes at Raiders camp

Raiders preseason opener will be ‘very telling’ in QB competition

Breaking down Raiders first unofficial depth chart of preseason

Winners from Raiders training camp scrimmage

Ramel Keyton signs with Raiders

Tennessee wide receiver Ramel Keyton signs with the Raiders.

The 2024 NFL draft was held Thursday-Saturday around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan.

Former Tennessee wide receiver Ramel Keyton was not selected in the seven-round draft. He signed as an undrafted free agent with Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-3, 197-pound wide receiver appeared in 55 games, including 24 starts, from 2019-23 at Tennessee. He recorded 86 receptions for 1,456 yards and 11 touchdowns. Keyton averaged 16.9 yards per reception.

He recorded a season-high for receiving yards (642), receptions (35) and receiving touchdowns (six) during his Tennessee career in 2023. The former Vol totaled 122 receiving yards on Nov. 25, 2023 against Vanderbilt.

Keyton went to Tennessee from Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia.

Reports: Purdue S Sanoussi Kane, Tennessee WR RaMel Keyton visit Dolphins

The Dolphins hosted a pair of potential Day 3 draft picks Wednesday.

The Miami Dolphins reportedly hosted two potential Day 3 selections Wednesday with the 2024 NFL draft just a week away.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Dolphins hosted Tennessee wide receiver RaMel Keyton. Tony Pauline of SportsKeeda says Pursue safety Sanoussi Kane also visited Miami.

Keyton was listed by Tennessee at 6’3, 197 pounds and finished with collegiate career with 86 receptions for 1,456 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Kane was listed by Purdue at 6’0, 215 pounds and recorded 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and 10 pass deflections during his collegiate career.

Neither player was invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

The Dolphins have been on the hunt for another wide receiver to complement the stellar duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. While they’ve entertained the idea of signing Odell Beckham Jr. and reportedly expressed interest in Tyler Boyd, Miami has also brought in a few receiver prospects for visits leading up to the draft.

It’d also make sense to hunt for safety help, as veteran Jordan Poyer was signed to a one-year deal as a stopgap solution at the team’s strong safety spot.

In recent seven-round mock drafts from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and ESPN’s Matt Miller, neither Keyton nor Kane were selected.

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