Who’s in, who’s out? Final Raiders’ 53-man roster projection

Will they keep three quarterbacks or two? Do they need a fourth tight end? Is their depth on the defensive line and in the secondary good enough?

The Raiders don’t have a lot of time to come up with answers. They at least get some additional flexibility this year thanks to an NFL rule change. Teams now can put two players on injured reserve before the deadline and still have them be eligible to return during the season. That could come in handy given promising rookies Tommy Eichenberg and Trey Taylor may not be healthy for the team’s Sept. 8 opener against the Chargers.

Here is a final prediction for the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster:

Quarterback (2)

■ Starter: Gardner Minshew

■ Reserve: Aidan O’Connell

■ Missed the cut: Carter Bradley, Nathan Peterman

■ Breakdown: The Raiders could keep a third quarterback, but going without one lets them keep a player at another position of need. They may try to sneak Bradley and Peterman onto their practice squad instead.

Running back (4)

■ Starter: Zamir White

■ Reserves: Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube

■ Missed the cut: Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick

■ Breakdown: Laube waned a bit over the course of training camp and the preseason after getting off to a strong start. He still showed the Raiders enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. He may not dress on game days at the beginning of the season, but he could earn playing time later on in the year.

Wide receiver (6)

■ Starters: Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker

■ Reserves: Kristian Wilkerson, DJ Turner, Tyreik McAllister

■ Missed the cut: Alex Bachman, Ramel Keyton, Tulu Griffin, Jeff Foreman, Jalen Guyton, Terrell Bynum, Keelan Doss, Dax Milne

■ Breakdown: McAllister impressed throughout camp with his speed and athleticism. It all came together for him in Friday’s preseason game against the 49ers when he had an 81-yard punt return touchdown and a 35-yard touchdown reception. McAllister’s performance may have earned him a roster spot over Guyton, who could return to the Raiders’ practice squad.

Tight end (4)

■ Starter: Michael Mayer

■ Reserves: Brock Bowers, Harrison Bryant, Cole Fotheringham

■ Missed the cut: Zach Gentry, John Samuel Shenker

■ Breakdown: The Raiders could decide to keep just three tight ends, but it may make sense to have a fourth on the roster given new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy plans to use heavier formations more often this year.

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, OL Corey Luciano.

■ Breakdown: Powers-Johnson has two weeks to show the Raiders he can handle the starting job after missing most of training camp with an undisclosed injury. Whitehair will likely get the nod if Powers-Johnson isn’t ready. Whitehair, a former Pro Bowler, is a good example of the depth the team has built on the offensive line this year. He and Meredith can play both guard positions as well as center. Peat can play left tackle or fill in at guard. Glaze, a rookie third-round pick, will start as the swing tackle but could push Munford for the starting job at some point.

Edge rushers (5)

■ Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce

■ Reserves: Tyree Wilson, Janarius Robinson, Charles Snowden

■ Missed the cut: Elerson Smith, David Agoha, Ron Stone Jr., TJ Franklin

■ Breakdown: Crosby and Koonce give the Raiders a potent one-two punch off the edge, but Wilson hasn’t taken the step forward they were counting on. The team will have to hope Wilson and Robinson can be effective when given snaps. Both can also slide inside on passing downs. Snowden has impressed throughout camp.

Interior defensive line (5)

Starters: Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins

■ Reserves: Adam Butler, Matthew Butler, Nesta Jade Silvera

■ Missed the cut: Marquan McCall, Noah Shannon, Tomari Fox, Byron Young

■ Breakdown: The surprise cut here is Young, a third-round pick out of Alabama in 2023. He was expected to come to camp looking much different than the player that struggled to earn a role as a rookie. That didn’t happen, so the Raiders will need to discuss what the best path forward for him is. The team could also look outside its building for depth if it’s not sold on giving Jade Silvera and Matthew Butler rotational roles.

Linebacker (5)

■ Starters: Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo

■ Reserves: Luke Masterson, Amari Gainer, Amari Burney, Tommy Eichenberg (IR)

■ Missed the cut: DaShaun White, Kana’i Mauga, Jackson Mitchell

■ Breakdown: Gainer finished the preseason strong with 12 tackles against the 49ers. He looks like a future starter. Eichenberg could land on IR after missing three weeks with an undisclosed injury. The Raiders feel good about both the present and the future of this room.

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: Much will depend on the status of Facyson, who has been out for almost a month with an undisclosed injury. It’s unclear how much the Raiders can count on him, but he’s a proven role player when healthy. The team will need to decide whether to put him on IR to start the year, part ways with him or stick him on the roster and hope he returns to full strength soon. Governor was cut by the Raiders on Monday.

Safety (4)

■ Starters: Tre’von Moehrig, Marcus Epps

■ Reserves: Isaiah Pola-Mao, Chris Smith, Trey Taylor (IR)

■ Missed the cut: Jaydon Grant, Phalen Sanford

■ Breakdown: The Raiders have a strong safety group and would like to keep five players at the position in an ideal world. Taylor will earn a spot if he’s healthy. He could also begin the season on IR and return at some point during the season.

Specialists (3)

K Daniel Carlson, P AJ Cole, LS Jacob Bobenmoyer

■ Breakdown: Not much to see here.

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