Raiders’ 53-man roster breakdown: Rookies claim several key spots

By Case Keefer (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 | 4:24 p.m.

The Raiders followed a pair of attention-grabbing moves on the NFL’s final cut day by releasing an initial 53-man roster that few could have seen coming at the start of training camp.

Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler stuck to their words of going with the players who most earned their spots, even if it meant letting go of more proven, experienced players.

The Raiders wound up keeping four undrafted rookie free agents in linebacker Luke Masterson, linebacker Darien Butler, cornerback Sam Webb and safety Isaiah Pola-Mao. They also stuck by both of their seventh-round picks from this year’s draft in running back Brittain Brown and right tackle Thayer Munford.

Somewhat surprising players that joined a train of veterans leaving town — one that had already claimed the likes of Demarcus Robinson and Kenyan Drake earlier in training camp before moving on from Trayvon Mullen and Alex Leatherwood on Tuesday — included wide receiver Keelan Cole, cornerback Darius Phillips and defensive tackle Kyle Peko.

Cole was beaten out by fourth-year deep threat Tyron Johnson and shifty second-year player D.J. Turner for the final receiver roles. Turner and Brown also hold value as returners, which contributed to letting Phillips go.

Phillips might have been the single most surprising player waived by the Raiders given his reputation as a valuable special teams asset and the team’s relative lack of depth in the secondary. But Ziegler and McDaniels clearly preferred Robertson, a third-year Raider who looked improved in practice despite struggling in the preseason, and Webb, out of Division II Missouri Western State University.

Phillips still could have caught on as a sixth cornerback, but Pola-Mao was a surprise inclusion as a fifth safety. Phillips, Cole, Peko, safety Matthias Farley and center Hroniss Grasu were all released in accordance to their NFL veteran status.

Fifteen other players who didn’t make the team, a group headlined by Leatherwood, were waived and can now be claimed by any of the other NFL franchises and elevated to their active rosters. If they’re not claimed, Las Vegas and every other team has 12 practice squad spots they can utilize.

Several players across the NFL will be moved, traded or even added to injured reserve — as the Raiders recently did with right tackle Brandon Parker and tight end Jacob Hollister — over the next few days. That means teams’ 53-man rosters are far from solidified despite the ever-growing interest in today’s cuts across the league and could shift drastically before the season kicks off.

Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime, but for now, here’s the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster in order of our own rough approximation of the depth chart.

Quarterbacks (2) — Derek Carr, Jarrett Stidham

Running backs (6) — Josh Jacobs, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden, Ameer Abdullah, Brittain Brown, Jakob Johnson (fullback)

Wide receivers (5) — Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Mack Hollins, Tyron Johnson, D.J. Turner

Tight ends (3) — Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Jesper Horsted

Offensive linemen (8) — Kolton Miller, John Simpson, Andre James, Lester Cotton, Jermaine Eluemunor, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford, Jackson Barton

Defensive linemen (11) — Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones, Johnathan Hankins, Bilal Nichols, Andrew Billings, Kendal Vickers, Tashawn Bower, Malcolm Koonce, Clelin Ferrell, Neil Farrell, Malcolm Butler

Linebackers (5) — Denzel Perryman, Divine Deablo, Jayon Brown, Darien Butler, Luke Masterson

Cornerbacks (5) — Nate Hobbs, Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Averett, Amik Roberton, Sam Webb

Safeties (5) — Tre’von Moehrig, Duron Harmon, Johnathan Abram, Roderic Teamer, Isaiah Pola-Mao

Specialists (3) — Daniel Carlson (kicker), A.J. Cole (punter), Trent Sieg (long snapper)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or