Roster cut-down day finally came in the NFL, and every team had to get to 53 players. The Las Vegas Raiders got a head start on cuts, but still had to make quite a few before the deadline.
Here’s a breakdown of which players got waived:
- Zach Carter DT
- Chris Collier RB
- Jahfari Harvey DE
- Shedrick Jackson WR
- Matt Jones LB
- Treven Ma’ae DT
- Atonio Mafi G
- Sincere McCormick RB
- Tommy Mellott WR
- Cam Miller QB
- Ovie Oghoufo DE
- Carter Runyon TE
- Justin Shorter WR
- Laki Tasi OL
- Trey Taylor S
- Greedy Vance CB
- Dalton Wagner T
- JT Woods S
The Raiders also released the following players:
- Alex Bachman WR
- Terrell Edmunds S
- Albert Okwuegbunam Jr. TE
Lonnie Johnson is headed to Injured Reserve to round things out. The biggest surprises here are that sixth-round picks Tommy Mellott and Cam Miller didn’t make the cut. Mellott is a former quarterback who converted to wide receiver. He’s an athletic freak who was always supposed to be a project, so it’s surprising the Raiders are moving on. Miller became expendable after the team traded for Kenny Pickett, but it’s still a surprise the team isn’t keeping him on as a developmental project.
Raiders Hoping to Bring Back Some Players to Practice Squad
The Raiders can only keep so many players on the roster, but that doesn’t mean that every player who gets cut is a player they don’t want to keep. There are several players that the team is reportedly hoping to re-sign to the practice squad.
Laki Tasi is a very interesting player and has a lot of potential, but he needs a ton of work. Though he missed the active roster, he’s among the players the Raiders want on the practice squad, per ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. They do need him to clear waivers, which might be a problem if other teams are interested in his potential.
JT Woods only recently joined the team, so it was always going to be difficult for him to make the active roster, but the Raiders want him on the practice squad, per McFadden.
While these two names have been reported so far, it’s likely that there are several other guys that the Raiders will sign to the practice squad.
Raiders Will Likely Also Sign New Players
The Raiders aren’t the only team having to cut a lot of players. Every team is cutting nearly 40 players to get to 53. That means many interesting names will be available to Las Vegas.
The Raiders still have big needs in the secondary, so expect them to scour the market for cornerbacks and safeties. They could also use more depth on the defensive line. The run defense was a concern in the preseason, so expect the team to target run-stuffing defensive ends and defensive tackles.
The recent signing of Amari Cooper makes the need for wide receiver help less pressing, but they should still be in the market to add a veteran, especially if they think the Jakobi Meyers trade request could become a big problem. Hunter Renfrow was released by the Carolina Panthers, so perhaps a reunion with the Raiders could make some sense.
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