Raiders’ 53-man roster projection: Where things stand before camp
The Raiders’ offseason program is in the books. The next time they gather as a full team will be at training camp in late July in Costa Mesa, California.
Here is a look at what the team’s initial 53-man roster could be after the Raiders’ organized team activities and mandatory minicamp:
Quarterback (2)
Starter: Aidan O’Connell
Reserve: Gardner Minshew
Missed the cut: Carter Bradley, Anthony Brown
Breakdown: The Raiders will pick a starter between O’Connell and Minshew, but don’t expect a decision until the end of training camp. They may keep three quarterbacks, or they could stash their third option on their practice squad.
Running back (4)
Starter: Zamir White
Reserves: Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube
Missed the cut: Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick
Breakdown: White will get the first crack at being Josh Jacobs’ replacement. Mattison is a solid backup. Abdullah and Laube can spell those two while also playing huge roles on special teams.
Receiver (6)
Starters: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker
Reserves: Michael Gallup, DJ Turner, Jalen Guyton
Missed the cut: Alex Bachman, Kristian Wilkerson, Ramel Keyton, Tulu Griffin, Jeff Foreman, Tyreik McAllister
Breakdown: Turner turned himself into an excellent special-teams player last year, which should earn him a roster spot again. Tucker seems poised for a breakout season. Gallup provides excellent depth. The biggest camp battle will be between Guyton and Wilkerson. Special-teams prowess will play a large role in who prevails.
Tight end (3)
Starter: Michael Mayer
Reserves: Brock Bowers, Harrison Bryant
Missed the cut: Cole Fotheringham, Zach Gentry, John Samuel Shenker
Breakdown: The Raiders could keep four tight ends since it appears they’ll use 12 personnel — which features one running back and two tight ends — more often this season. They could also use their practice squad to stash depth players like Fotheringham and Gentry.
Offensive line (9)
Starters: LT Kolton Miller, LG Jackson Powers-Johnson, C Andre James, RG Dylan Parham, RT Thayer Munford Jr.
Reserves: G Cody Whitehair, OT DJ Glaze, OT Andrus Peat, G Jordan Meredith
Missed the cut: G Ben Brown, OT Jalen McKenzie, OT Dalton Wagner, OT Andrew Coker, G Clark Barrington, G Jake Johanning, C Will Putnam
Breakdown: The Raiders have high hopes for their revamped offensive line. It looks deeper, more athletic and more versatile than it has in years past. Two of their backups — Peat and Whitehair — are former Pro Bowlers. Meredith can play all over the line of scrimmage.
Edge rushers (5)
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Reserves: Tyree Wilson, Janarius Robinson, David Agoha
Missed the cut: Elerson Smith, Charles Snowden, Ron Stone Jr., Amari Gainer, TJ Franklin
Breakdown: Crosby and Koonce have a chance to be a special tandem. Wilson could give the Raiders a dominant trio if he takes a step forward. Don’t sleep on Robinson, either. He has all the tools to be a key rotational player. The fifth spot could go to someone outside the organization or a young player that impresses in camp.
Interior defensive line (5)
Starters: Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins
Reserves: Adam Butler, Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera
Missed the cut: Marquan McCall, Noah Shannon, Tomari Fox, Matthew Butler
Breakdown: Wilkins lifts this room to a new level. He should feast given all the attention opposing offensive lines have to dedicate to Crosby. Jenkins and Adams are excellent in supporting roles. Young needs to show improvement, while the battle between Matthew Butler and Jade Silvera is one to watch this preseason.
Linebacker (5)
Starters: Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo
Reserves: Luke Masterson, Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Burney
Missed the cut: Darien Butler, Kana’i Mauga
Breakdown: The Raiders often have just two linebackers on the field, but they feel like they have three above-average starters in Spillane, Deablo and Masteron. Eichenberg will push for playing time as a rookie. Burney showed last year he can be counted on when given opportunities as well.
Cornerback (6)
Starters: Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs
Reserves: Brandon Facyson, Decamerion Richardson, M.J. Devonshire
Missed the cut: Sam Webb, Cornell Armstrong, Ja’Quan Sheppard, Rayshad Williams, Woo Governor
Breakdown: The big question is whether Bennett or Facyson claims the starting job opposite Jones on the outside. The Raiders could look outside their building if neither performs well in camp. Devonshire will have to fight off Webb and Armstrong for a roster spot, but multiple players at this position could wind up on the practice squad.
Safety (5)
Starters: Tre’von Moehrig, Marcus Epps
Reserves: Isaiah Pola-Mao, Chris Smith, Trey Taylor
Missed the cut: Jaydon Grant, Phalen Sanford
Breakdown: The Raiders have quietly built a strong safety room. But with Moehrig and Epps going into the last year of their contracts, they need one of their young backups to step up this season.
Specialists (3)
K Daniel Carlson, P AJ Cole, LS Jacob Bobenmoyer
Breakdown: The Raiders, once again, should have one of the best special-teams rooms in the NFL.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.