From Waller to final roster, Raiders fans have questions

The Raiders finished their first perfect preseason in franchise history on Friday. They did so while amassing their fewest preseason penalty yards in 22 years and becoming the first NFL team since 2011 to conclude its exhibition schedule without committing a turnover.

All of these are strong signs the messaging from coach Josh McDaniels about playing clean, efficient football is getting through.

But as they turn their attention to whittling their roster from 80 players to the 53-man limit and their season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers in two weeks, there are plenty of questions still lingering.

Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s Raiders mailbag:

GoldyGoldfish (@anthony_golding): Do we think Darren Waller left his agent because his agent wanted him to hold out? Or do we think there’s a different meaning behind that?

VINCENT BONSIGNORE: At this point, it’s all just guesswork. There has been speculation that perhaps his former representation wanted to be a bit more aggressive in pushing for a new deal than Waller was willing to be. Also, having done some poking around, it could have been a case of his former representation setting unrealistic expectations for compensation that would have been difficult for the Raiders to meet.

Whatever the case, Waller had misgiving about the direction things were headed and opted to make a change. Expect some sort of update on a new agent relatively soon. Maybe when that happens the Raiders and Waller can resume negotiations on a new contract.

Brandon Campione (@jeffhardyfanzz): Do you think we are looking at offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn from New England?

VB: After doing some digging on that possibility, the sense is the Raiders are not interested in pursuing Wynn. A couple of things to keep in mind. First, Wynn is playing on the fully guaranteed fifth-year option of his rookie deal and is slated to make $10.4 million. That is a steep price for someone that has played only left tackle in his career — and offers no guarantees he will successfully make the transition to right tackle.

On top of that, he is also a pending free agent after this season, so you’d be dealing for one season of someone with an already high price tag who might walk at the end of the year.

Ricky Latham (@latham_ricky44): What do you think the ceiling of this team is if our offensive-line play holds up?

VB: In terms of wins, the Raiders are absolutely capable of winning 12 to 13 games, and it is not out of the question they have the talent and firepower to make a run at the AFC Championship game.

And when you get to that point, you are one win away from getting to the Super Bowl.

Doug Holmes (@Taekwondoug): It’s a crowded running back room, but the Raiders have to keep Zamir White and Brittain Brown though, right?

VB: White makes the team, no question. But as you mentioned, it is a crowded running back room that also features Josh Jacobs. Ameer Abdullah, Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson leave precious little room for Brown, a seventh-round pick from UCLA.

Brown can absolutely play at the NFL level, but his best bet at this stage with the Raiders is on the practice squad. The problem is, to get him to that point the Raiders have to slide him through waivers and then re-sign him to the practice squad. That could be risky as Brown has put together solid tape during the preseason.

lumberjack Raider (@mrr8der34): Darren Waller? What are we waiting for to pay this dude?

VB: Waller is under contract for two more seasons, so there might not be major urgency on the Raiders’ part to get something done. No doubt Waller wants to get something done, but that might have to wait until things change on the Raiders’ side. And that might not be until this time next season, or slightly before.

Ultra NUCLEAR MAGA Steve (@UltraMAGASteve): Defensive end Tashawn Bower is a must-keep, right?

VB: Absolutely.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.