RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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San Francisco wide receiver Jordan Watkins (17) is tripped by Las Vegas Raiders safety Isiah Pola-Mao (20) during a NFL preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium, Thursday August 27, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.
LAS VEGAS—It is shaping up to be a tough few days of evaluation ahead for the Las Vegas Raiders’ braintrust.
By 3 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday, the Raiders will have to boil down their current roster of 89 players to 53. Some of the cuts will find their way onto the practice squad, while others have played their final down for the Silver and Black. After a month of training camp and three preseason games, the players have had every opportunity to make a positive impression.
Here is who made the most of their chances, as well as a look into the fates of those who might not quite make the cut.
Quarterback (3) : Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza, Aidan O’Connell
Out: Jacob Clark
Cousins and Mendoza have been locked in from the start, but the only sticking point has been O’Connell. It has been less about O’Connell’s performance, however, and more on the grounds of him being an option for teams unhappy about their current backup quarterback situation. The fourth-year pro is certainly overqualified as a third-string quarterback but, if a trade fails to materialize, the Raiders should have no problem keeping him as a failsafe if Cousins goes down and Mendoza needs more time.
Running Back/Fullback (4) : Ashton Jeanty, Mike Washington Jr., Dylan Laube, Connor Heyward
Out: Dare Ogunbowale, Roman Hemby, Patrick Gurd
This position group is somewhat difficult to project due to Jeanty’s injury. While reports suggest Jeanty avoided the worst-case scenario and only suffered a sprained ankle, that can still require time off for running backs.
If he is ready to go in Week One, the Raiders could just turn to three running backs in him, Washington and Laube, with Heyward in at fullback. If they choose to be cautious, they could turn to Ogunbowale, who offers veteran experience and versatility. Hemby and Gurd should be penciled into the practice squad, but an external addition would not be surprising.
Wide Receiver (5) : Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Malik Benson, Dareke Young
IR: Dont’e Thornton Jr.
Out: Deven Thompkins, Brandon Johnson, Shedrick Jackson, Phillip Dorsett II, Chase Roberts, E.J. Williams
Turner, Nailor, Bech and Benson all seem pretty safe at this point, but this position feels far from settled.
Thornton’s draft pedigree and athletic profile are still there, but he missed the entire preseason due to injury and left the door open for Benson to steal his role as a designated deep threat. I would doubt the Raiders would just cast aside a player they spent a fourth-round pick on last year, so Thornton will likely be stashed on injured reserve and re-evaluated when he’s back on the field.
This is where the math starts to hurt. Young and Thompkins are both primarily special teams players, with the former getting the edge. Any combination of two of Johnson, Jackson, Roberts and Williams should find themselves on the practice squad.
Tight End (3) : Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Out: Carter Runyon, Albert Okwuegbunam Jr., Chris Myarick
This group feels pretty easy to predict. Bowers and Mayer will be heavily featured in 12 personnel, while Thomas retains his in-line blocker role. An undisclosed injury sabotaged Runyon’s hopes of sneaking on, so it might be back to the practice squad for him again.
Offensive Line (9) : Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant, Trey Zuhn III, Atonio Mafi
Out: Jordan Meredith, Will Putnam, Dalton Wagner, Braeden Daniels, Isaiah Jatta, Kamar Missouri, Niklas Henning
Miller, Burford, Linderbaum and Glaze are all locked as starters, while Powers-Johnson and Rogers have duked it out for a starting job at right guard. All six should be safe, as are Grant and Zuhn.
The real sticking point has been if the Raiders add a ninth roster spot for an offensive lineman, and who that spot would belong to. Meredith would have been an easy choice, but he has yet to jump off the page this offseason, and Zuhn taking reps as a backup center is telling. With teams looking for offensive lineman depth all the time, it would not surprise me if Meredith ends up getting flipped for a late-round pick.
If a ninth spot is up for grabs and Meredith is out of the running, Mafi would get the nod over Putnam due to his run blocking prowess.
Defensive Tackle (6) : Tonka Hemingway, Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker IV, Folorunso Fatukasi, JJ Pegues
Out: Brandon Cleveland, Treven Ma’ae, Gary Smith III
Along with wide receiver, this feels like the group most likely to add an external option if the right player falls to the Raiders.
Hemingway’s been one of the top players throughout the offseason program, while Butler, Laulu and Booker will all rotate in situationally. Fatukasi is only a couple weeks into his tenure in Las Vegas, but his run-stuffing ability popped against the Houston Texans.
The last spot likely comes down to who the Raiders believe is more likely to slip past waivers between Pegues and Cleveland, with the loser of that battle joining Smith on the practice squad.
Edge Rusher (5) : Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Patrick Johnson, Cian Slone
IR: Keyron Crawford
Out: Jahfari Harvey
This group was almost set, but Crawford’s ankle injury Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers changed the equation.
Head coach Klint Kubiak has yet to offer an update on the third-round rookie, but it would not be a surprise for Crawford to get an injured reserve designation with the lack of time between the injury and the start of the season.
The silver lining in this instance is the Raiders no longer have to agonize over a roster spot between Johnson and Slone. Both have put together strong efforts in training camp and pres...
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