Raiders name 14 players to practice squad, including rookie QB
The Raiders signed 14 players to their practice squad Wednesday, one day after trimming their roster down to 53 players.
Quarterback Carter Bradley, an undrafted free agent, headlined the group rejoining the organization. He will serve as the Raiders’ third quarterback since Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell are the only two passers on the active roster.
All of the players the team signed to its practice squad Wednesday took part in the club’s training camp. The Raiders still have three practice-squad spots available because of a roster exemption for David Agoha, a member of the NFL’s international pathway program.
Agoha spent last season on the practice squad and is back again after going through his second training camp with the team. Defensive end Charles Snowden and defensive tackle Matthew Butler are the other two defensive linemen the organization retained.
Cornerback Sam Webb could still play a role for the Raiders this season despite being on the practice squad. He appeared in 17 games for the team two years ago and its depth at the position is questionable.
The Raiders’ group of wide receivers on the practice squad is strong with Jalen Guyton, Kristian Wilkerson and Alex Bachman all being retained. Wilkerson had a stellar camp and was believed to be one of the team’s final cuts. Guyton is an experienced veteran who struggled to show what he could do in the preseason due to a lingering hamstring injury.
The other players the Raiders signed to their practice squad were running back Sincere McCormick, tight end John Samuel Shenker, safety Phalen Sanford and offensive linemen Ben Brown, Will Putnam and Dalton Wagner.
Building chemistry
Center Andre James said Wednesday he has started to build chemistry with Minshew, who was named the Raiders’ starting quarterback Aug. 18.
“Now we’ve been able to really start getting a lot more reps together,” James said. “I think we will just continue to grow from here.”
Minshew has more mobility than most of the quarterbacks James has played with in his NFL career, which should change the dynamic of the offense.
“It’s nice to have the guys who can move a little bit,” James said. “It makes the defense kind of respect the quarterback’s ability to go at that point and slows down the rush. You can kind of feel him able to move the pocket in the play-action (game).”
Minshew’s legs aren’t the only thing James is adjusting to. New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s zone-blocking scheme asks the offensive line to make different types of blocks than the group made previously under coach Josh McDaniels. James said it feels similar to what former Raiders coach Jon Gruden liked to do.
“It’s very different (than what we’ve done the last two years),” James said. “It fits who we are as an offensive line. Athletic guys who are big but can move. We’re excited to run this zone and do everything off of it. We’re excited to put it on film.”
All alone in the backfield
Getsy’s system doesn’t utilize a true fullback, which means there isn’t one on the Raiders’ roster.
That’s a dramatic change for veteran running back Ameer Abdullah.
He played with Pro Bowl fullback C.J. Ham in Minnesota before coming to the Raiders, then got used to working with fullback Jakob Johnson in Las Vegas.
“It’s really different for me, especially (playing with those guys) for a long time,”Abdullah said. “So it’s a lot different, but I think we do a lot of things with how we move guys around pre-snap to kind of supplement for that.”
Abdullah, an aspiring actor and writer, also provided an update on his screenplay. He said it is up to 99 pages and is in its “third act.”
The ‘head of the snake’
Second-year cornerback Jakorian Bennett said the Raiders’ team chemistry is one reason why they will outperform expectations this season.
“We are all locked in and always checking up on each other,” Bennett said. “It’s a brotherhood. I know Maxx (Crosby) has my back and I’ve got his. He’s the head of the snake, so we’re going to follow him and just go out and be who we are, continuing to build on this culture (coach Antonio Pierce) has installed and keep being dogs.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.