An early (and fluid) prediction on who will make the roster with veterans reporting to Las Vegas on Tuesday
Las Vegas Raiders football is back as the entire team has reported to training camp with the veterans joining the rookies in Las Vegas on Tuesday. While it’s early and there will be a lot of new information between now and cutdown day, it’s time for the initial Raiders’ 53-man roster projection for the 2025 season.
With the preseason and practice reports from training camp still to come, the predictions below will be very fluid and likely see several changes between now and the end of August. But this at least provides a baseline for where players stand at the beginning of the summer.
For simplicity, it’s assumed that 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and three specialists will make the roster in this exercise. That also can change as training camp goes on, as the coaching staff may decide to keep a different number of players at each position than what’s listed below.
To account for that, any player who has a star (*) next to their name means their status could change based on how many roster spots the coaching staff is allocating to that position. In other words, a ‘backup’ with a star is a ‘cut’ projection if the Raiders keep one fewer player than what’s listed below and vice versa.
Quarterback (3)
Starter: Geno Smith
Backups: Aidan O’Connell, Cam Miller*
Cut: no one
Unless someone else gets signed, Las Vegas took the drama out of the quarterback battle by letting Carter Bradley go ahead of training camp. Now, the only question is if Pete Carroll wants to take advantage of the emergency quarterback rule by rostering three QBs, or if Carroll just opts to stash Miller on the practice squad.
Running Back (4)
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Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Raheem Mostert, Sincere McCormick, Dylan Laube*
Cut: Zamir White, Chris Collier
The top three running backs seem pretty set in stone, at least at this point. To me, the biggest difference between Laube and White is that the former offers more on special teams than the latter. The second-year pro also can contribute as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. However, he’s definitely on the chopping block, too.
Wide Receiver (6)
Starters: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Dont’e Thornton Jr.
Backups: Jack Bech, Tommy Mellott, Collin Johnson*
Cut: Alex Bachman*, Shedrick Jackson, Phillip Dorsett, Ketron Jackson Jr., Kyle Philips, Seth Williams
Wide receiver is an interesting position when it comes to how many roster spots are actually available, as it could be anywhere from five to seven. If the Raiders do keep six wideouts, the 6-foot-6 Johnson has unique size and might be able to distinguish himself as a decent red zone threat.
Tight End (3)
Starter: Brock Bowers
Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut: Justin Shorter*, Qadir Ismail, Carter Runyon, Pat Conroy
How many tight ends Las Vegas rosters will depend on how many wideouts make the club, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chip Kelly keep four tight ends if he plans on using a lot of 12 personnel this season. That makes Shorter the easy choice to earn a spot, while Runyon and Conroy can be practice squad candidates.
Offensive Line (9)
Starters: Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Alex Cappa, DJ Glaze
Backups: Thayer Munford Jr., Jordan Meredith, Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant
Cut: Will Putnam*, Jarrod Hufford, Dalton Wagner, Gottlieb Ayedze, Parker Clements, Laki Tasi (IPP), Atonio Mafi
With Munford serving as the swing tackle, and a potential backup guard, there isn’t much wiggle room on the offensive line. Third-round picks Rogers and Grant aren’t going anywhere, and Meredith played well in eight starts last season to at least earn a roster spot. So, the only question here is if the coaching staff wants to keep 10 linemen, and Putnam received praise during last year’s camp to be the favorite at this stage.
Defensive End (4)
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Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Backups: Tyree Wilson, Jah Joyner
Cut: Charles Snowden*, Andre Carter II, Ovie Oghoufo, Jahfari Harvey
With 11 draft picks, there isn’t much room for an undrafted free agent to make the roster this year. However, the Raiders could use another edge rusher to come off the bench, and Joyner’s pass-rush skills give him a competitive advantage. Granted, the Minnesota product will have to outplay Snowden for that role.
Defensive Tackles (5)
Starters: Christian Wilkins (currently on PUP), Adam Butler
Backups: Leki Fotu*, Zach Carter, Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues
Cut: Jonah Laulu, Treven Ma’ae, Tank Booker
There are a lot of variables at defensive tackle right now, including Wilkins’ health. Also, the position group currently has a lot of young players with potential, and at least one of them is going to get cut if Wilkins is taken off the PUP list during camp. On top of that, how many DTs the coaching staff wants to keep is a question.
Additionally, Fotu is an interesting case. He’s the only true nose tackle on the roster who has NFL experience, but he’s also been below average during his career. So, do Patrick Graham and Rob Leonard opt to keep the veteran to have a nose tackle on the roster, or do they keep the more talented defensive tackles and get creative with filling the aforementioned role?
Linebacker (6)
Starters: Germaine Pratt, Elandon Roberts
Backups: Devin White, Amari Gainer, Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg
Cut: Jaylon Smith*, Michael Barrett, Matt Jones
The new kickoff rules create a better opportunity for linebackers to make NFL rosters, and the Raiders’ previous coaching staff rostered seven backers last year. The problem is Carroll wasn’t on the sidelines last year, so it’s unknown if he’ll opt to use that same strategy.
To address the question posed in the title, it wouldn’t surprise me if White doesn’t make the team, especially after the Raiders picked up Pratt. The latter gives the defense two veteran starting linebackers, and White’s skill set is better suited for being a situational player rather than a legitimate first-stringer.
If Smith, Barrett or Jones have a strong showing this summer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 2019 No. 5 overall pick get left off the squad. Again, that also depends on how many roster spots are available.
Cornerback (5)
Starters: Darien Porter, Eric Stokes
Backups: Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, Darnay Holmes
Cut: Kyu Blu Kelly, Greedy Vance*, Sam Webb, John Humphrey, JT Woods
The ‘starters’ here are just based on the reports from OTAs and minicamp, and it’s a wide-open competition at cornerback this summer. On a similar note, the first-string nickelback job is given to a safety, which can also change. With competitions throughout the depth chart, corner is a difficult position to predict at this stage for the Silver and Black.
Safety (5)
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Thomas Harper (nickel)
Backups: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Jamal Adams*
Cut: Trey Taylor, Chris Smith II, Hudson Clark
Harper is an interesting defensive back since he primarily played free safety last season but has experience lining up at nickel, dating back to his college days at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. Johnson likely has a spot given what he can bring on special teams, while the recent addition of Adams likely pushes Taylor and Smith out.