Following the 2023 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have a number of incoming players who they will be bringing in for OTAs and training camp. And even with a 90-man roster for these offseason activities, there is only room for so many players.
As such, the Raiders announced that they have waived a pair of little-used players in safety Jalen Elliott and offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk:
The Raiders have a bunch of incoming rookies and they opened up a couple of spots on their 90-man roster to make room for them on Monday.
The team announced that they have waived safety Jalen Elliott and tackle Sebastian Gutierrez.
Elliott was a practice squad player who signed with the Raiders last year following a stint with the Detroit Lions. He never appeared in a game for the Raiders last season. Gutierrez meanwhile did play in one game for Las Vegas last season.
The draft does seem to be a promising one for the Raiders in which they attacked some holes on the roster that needed to be filled. Edge rusher Tyree Wilson is one of the most physically impressive prospects in the entire draft and if he reaches his potential is a true game changer. Meanwhile, second-round pick Michael Mayer of Notre Dame should be ready to step in at tight end from day one and grab a starting position as one of the most NFL-ready prospects.
But defense was the focus for much of this Raiders draft with six of their nine selections coming on that side of the ball. The team added a pair of defensive tackles in Alabama’s Byron Young in the third round and Arizona State’s Nesta Jade Silvera in the seventh as well as two more players in the secondary in Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett in the fourth round and Georgia safety Christopher Smith in the fifth. The front office also picked up speedy off-ball linebacker Amari Burney from Florida in the sixth round.
This will be a huge year for the Raiders franchise as they look to make last season a bump in the road and begin turning things around. While it is a minor move overall in waiving Elliott and Gutierrez, it ultimately opens up space for the coaching staff to get a good look at players who could potentially develop into guys who can produce for the team in the coming years.
