Ready for the Raiders: Projecting the 53-man roster with training camp nearing

By Case Keefer (contact)

Monday, July 4, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Two weeks remain before all 90 players on the Las Vegas Raiders’ current at-capacity roster begin to show up at the team’s Henderson headquarters for training camp.

The Raiders get to start preparations for the upcoming season a few days earlier than every other team in the NFL this season. That’s both because they’re breaking in a new coach in Josh McDaniels and kicking off the preseason with the Hall of Fame Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 4 in Canton, Ohio.

That gives Las Vegas more time to evaluate personnel before beginning to cut down to the official 53-man roster for the regular season. The NFL doesn’t mandate the first five roster cuts until August 16, almost a month after the Raiders start arriving in town.

Final cut day is set for August 30, less than two weeks before Las Vegas kicks off the regular season on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers on September 11.

A surprise or two will be in store that day. There always seem to be surprises in how exactly teams allocate their roster spots, especially ones with an all-new look at the top of the organization like the Raiders with McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.

But that’s not going to stop anyone, including the Las Vegas Sun, from trying to figure it out.

Below is our best guess for the Raiders’ opening roster, barring injury of course.

Quarterbacks (2): Derek Carr and Nick Mullens

Former coach Jon Gruden preferred to roster three quarterbacks, but McDaniels may get away from that trend. The Patriots rarely kept three passers on the roster during his long stint as offensive coordinator. That means a battle could be brewing between veterans Nick Mullens and Jarrett Stidham for the backup spot to Carr. McDaniels will give Stidham, whom he coached for three years in New England before bringing him to Las Vegas via trade, every opportunity to seize the job. But Mullens looks like the safer choice given his experience as a fill-in starter for 17 games over the last four seasons. The backup quarterback is too vital in the modern NFL to not go with the safer choice.

Running backs (5): Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden and Jakob Johnson

Sorry, fantasy players but welcome to a running back by committee. Jacobs, Drake and White all project to split carries. Bolden will probably also be in the mix, especially on passing downs, unless seventh-round pick Brittain Brown really impresses in training camp and beats out the former Patriot veteran. Brown is more likely to wind up on the practice squad but could make the Raiders think twice if he emerges as the team's best option as a return man. Johnson is the only fullback on the roster and therefore should be as secure as the first three running backs listed.

Wide receivers (6): Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Demarcus Robinson, Mack Hollins, Keelan Cole and Tyron Johnson

This is a completely overhauled unit, but one that rivals edge rusher as the most exciting group of talent on the team. Some would say the quality falls off drastically after the Pro Bowl tandem of Adams and Renfrow, but Robinson, Hollins and Cole are all reliable veterans who have occasionally hinted they could be capable of more than a supporting role. At least one of them figures to break out as a difference-maker. Same with Johnson, whom might be on the fringes of the roster currently but could make his way onto the team by virtue of his value as a returner.

Tight ends (3): Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Jacob Hollister

The Raiders could get away with only carrying two tight ends into the season, especially when they have a pair as gifted as Waller and Moreau, but that seems unlikely given McDaniels’ offense. He heavily utilizes tight ends. The last Raiders’ staff liked 2020 undrafted free agent Nick Bowers, who became a special teams contributor last season. But he’ll have some ground to make up in surpassing Hollister, who played under McDaniels for two years in New England.

Offensive linemen (9): Kolton Miller, John Simpson, Andre James, Denzelle Good, Alex Leatherwood, Jermaine Eluemunor, Brandon Parker, Dylan Parham, Thayer Munford

The bad news: This looks like one of the weakest fronts in the league for the second straight year. The good news: It’s extremely young and versatile, giving the coaching staff both hope for progress and several different combination possibilities. Good, Leatherwood, Eluemunor, Parham and Munford will all get looks at multiple positions. So too may players like veteran Alex Bars, who’s currently on the outside looking in. But anyone has a chance given how Miller is the only proven and consistent standout here. If the Raiders make a move to bring in another bigger name during training camp, offensive line is where it would most likely happen.

Interior defensive linemen (5): Johnathan Hankins, Bilal Nichols, Vernon Butler, Neil Farrell, Matthew Butler

The Raiders have some veterans that aren’t listed here like Kyle Peko, Kendal Vickers and Andrew Billings that could easily make the team. Leaving them out is a leap of faith in the rookie pair of Farrell and Matthew Butler, who look like they could produce beyond their fourth- and fifth-round draft slots, respectively. It would be as part of a rotation this year, though. Hankins is entrenched as a starter in the middle, and there could be a spirited competition between the veterans Nichols and Vernon Butler for the most snaps alongside him. Edge rusher Clelin Ferrell could also get looks inside.

Edge rushers (5): Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones, Clelin Ferrell, Malcolm Koonce, Kyler Fackrell

The designation between defensive linemen, edge rushers and linebackers in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme is somewhat nebulous so don’t get too caught up on where everyone is listed. Jones and Crosby will be as much outside linebackers as defensive ends. Koonce and Fackrell could even play the other linebacker spots too. And everyone on the team always mentions Ferrell’s ability to play multiple positions.

Inside linebackers (4): Denzel Perryman, Divine Deablo, Jayon Brown, Kenny Young

For the Raiders to be at their best, they’ll need Deablo to win a starting job in his second year and continue on the positive trajectory he showed late last season. The veterans Brown and Young aren’t bad backup plans if the new staff isn’t as high on Deablo. Don’t sleep on fellow veteran Micah Kiser, who contributed to the Broncos down the stretch last season, or even undrafted rookie free agent Darrien Butler, who takes after the Pro Bowler Perryman in being undersized but ferocious. There are a lot of ways this group could go.

Cornerbacks (6): Trayvon Mullen, Rock Ya-Sin, Nate Hobbs, Anthony Averett, Darius Phillips, Chris Jones

The former staff would almost certainly have given 2020 fourth-round pick Amik Robertson a third chance despite his struggles but McDaniels and Graham are unlikely to be as attached. The newcomers Phillips and Jones have been more useful players than Robertson at previous spots — most recently the Bengals and Titans, respectively — and should contribute in a big way on special teams. The first four spots are locked up. Hobbs has the highest upside of anyone in the room but looks to be remaining at slot cornerback for another year. Mullen and Ya-Sin would seem to be the likely starters outside, but Averett will push them both for playing time after getting thrust into a high share of snaps with the injury-ravaged Ravens last year.

Safeties (5): Tre’von Moehrig, Jonathan Abram, Duron Harmon, Tyree Gillespie, Dallin Leavitt

Five safeties would be a lot, but for the purposes of this exercise, let’s call on Leavitt to snag the final roster spot and stick with the Raiders for a fifth consecutive season. Heck, he could wind up as the special teams captain. He’s been a fixture in that department. It’s more likely Leavitt and Gillespie are vying against each other for the last safety spot, but even if the latter loses out, will the staff really want to cut loose the 2021 fourth-round pick that easily? Gillespie still holds promise as it was mostly injuries that derailed his rookie campaign. That’s a secondary battle, though, as all eyes here will really be on who wins the starting strong safety job between Abram and Harman. Moehrig could take the leap as one of the best free safeties in the league after a great rookie season.

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

It’s nice to end with an easy one. This trio was among the best in the league last year, and the Raiders locked up both Carlson and Cole long-term. No one seems likely to beat out their buddy Sieg either.

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