Raiders’ roster breakdown: Where do team’s strengths, weaknesses lie?
The Raiders’ 53-man roster isn’t final.
It’s a living, breathing entity bound to change plenty over the next 19 weeks. But there are a few things to be gleaned from the version the Raiders ended Wednesday with.
The group, built in the image of coach Antonio Pierce, is deep at the offensive skill positions and the offensive line. It’s got a great group of defensive starters and should be strong on special teams.
The question marks come at quarterback and the team’s defensive line and cornerback depth. The Raiders will get answers in the coming months. For now, here’s a look at how the roster breaks down:
Offensive line looks versatile, deep
The Raiders will have to wait and see if rookie second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson, who missed the start of training camp with an undisclosed injury, is ready to play Week 1 against the Chargers.
The good news is the team built up enough depth to not have to rush him into action.
Cody Whitehair, who will start at left guard if Powers-Johnson can’t play, is a former Pro Bowler who can play anywhere on the interior. Backup Jordan Meredith can play both guard and center, too. Backup Andrus Peat is another former Pro Bowler who can play tackle and guard. Reserve DJ Glaze, the team’s third-round pick in April’s draft, impressed in training camp.
Those four players give the Raiders the kind of depth up front they haven’t had in years.
What they are saying: “As we progress through the year, obviously, injuries are going to happen, things are going to come up, so the more versatility, the better. So, if you’re not one of the starting five, boy, you really have to have some versatility, whether you’re a guard-center or guard-tackle. So, I think we have some of that there.” — general manager Tom Telesco
Linebacker room packed to start
Pierce, a former linebacker, had to be smiling a bit when the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster was announced.
Teams don’t often carry more than five players at the position. The Raiders kept seven.
There are two main reasons the team chose to do so. The NFL’s new kickoff rules led the Raiders to prioritize keeping players with size, toughness and athleticism. Their long-range future at linebacker is also a little murky with starters Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo, as well as reserve Luke Masterson, set to be free agents after the year. The team wanted to keep youngsters Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer and Amari Burney around to develop behind and potentially supplant that veteran trio.
The Raiders are still likely to tinker with this group as the year goes on, but there was a method to their madness here. They also can’t be too upset that an undrafted free agent like Gainer forced their hand by performing well in the preseason.
What they are saying: “Listen, when (Gainer) came in the door day one, it was like, ‘Wow, this is a pretty sucker here.’ He looks good and you saw the movement with him in college from Florida State to North Carolina, but there was always like, ‘Man, there’s more to him.’ And I think the best thing that happened for him was that last game, he went out there and played 90-plus snaps. Seventy-plus on defense and another 15 or so on special teams. And all you saw throughout the game, and we’ve been seeing it all preseason, is a guy just getting better and better.” — Pierce
New-look secondary brings intrigue
The Raiders looked for cornerback help for a few weeks before setting their roster.
Veteran Brandon Facyson was a question mark after missing more than three weeks of camp with an undisclosed injury. He was released Thursday. The team wanted more options behind starters Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett besides rookies M.J. Devonshire and Decamerion Richardson. Devonshire made the initial 53-man roster but was waived and added to the practice squad Thursday.
The Raiders added some assistance Wednesday by signing veteran Darnay Holmes and claiming undrafted rookie Thomas Harper off waivers from the Chargers.
Holmes can play all over the field and is familiar with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s system. Graham was Holmes’ defensive coordinator with the Giants for two years.
Harper, who can play safety or cornerback, caught Pierce’s eye on tape. Adding him and Holmes to the mix gives the Raiders more talent in an area where they needed it.
What they are saying: “What I saw on film (with Harper) was a guy with a burst, aggressiveness, kind of controlling the back end as a young player. I watched him in college. You just saw a guy each and every week get better in the preseason. And again, whatever you can do to keep building depth in every room, especially in the secondary for us, is critical.” — Pierce
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.