Well, folks, meet your 2022 Las Vegas Raiders!
Maybe.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Raiders officially trimmed their roster down to 53 names — a move that feels moderately official, albeit there will likely be more changes thanks to the 1,147 other names that hit free agency or the waiver wire around the league. As for the decisions the Raiders made, the surprises were minimal.
Sure, 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood was released, but the writing for that kind of move has been on the wall since he was benched in the team’s preseason game against the Dolphins. Veteran receiver Keelan Cole and cornerback Darius Phillips were the other two moves that registered a tad on the surprise meter, but otherwise, the list of 37 guys hitting the open market was rather unremarkable.
With the preseason officially behind them, it’s time to look at five questions left to answer before Week 1…
1) Is There a Move Coming on the Offensive Line?
This question has admittedly been relevant since John McDaniels and Dave Ziegler took over, but as of Tuesday, it remains unanswered. As it stands, it appears as if Jermaine Eluemunor is set to start at right tackle, Lester Cotton at right guard, and rookie Dylan Parham at left guard. Eluemunor has started just 14 games in his five-year career (and was cut by both the Dolphins and Jaguars last season). Cotton was undrafted in 2019, has been released and re-signed by the team three separate times, and has never started an NFL game. Parham, a rookie out of Memphis, hasn’t started a game at left guard since 2019.
All this would lead one to believe the Raiders — who have more than $20 million in cap space — would be active in free agency, and yet up until this point, they have not. Will that change with other teams making cuts of their own? We’ll see.
2) Will Any of Jon Gruden or Mike Mayock’s Guys Survive?
The most surprising move of the day on Tuesday wasn’t a cut — it was a trade in which the Raiders sent corner Trayvon Mullen to Arizona for a conditional seventh-round pick. That, combined with the Leatherwood cut, led many people to recognize just how few of the former regime’s guys remain. For others like Clelin Ferrell, it appears like their spot is safe…for now.
3) Will They Really Carry Four Undrafted Free Agent Rookies?
You read that right: four. Darien Butler, Luke Masterson, Sam Webb and Isaiah Pola-Mao all made the initial 53-man roster cut — beating out established veterans in many cases. Typically a team is fortunate if they find one contributor after the draft, but the Raiders seem to think they have found more.
4) Ndamukong Suh: Future Raider?
Outside of the offensive line, if there’s one spot on the roster that looks especially light it’s the interior of the defensive line. Projected starters Bilal Nichols and Jonathan Hankins are solid options, but behind them, the cupboard is pretty bare. There have been rumors linking Suh and the Raiders, but reports are that the veteran wanted more than Las Vegas was interested in offering. Could that change now that the preseason is over?
5) Will Ziegler and McDaniels’ Bet on Their Cornerback Room Pay Off?
Mullen was projected by many to be a starter opposite Rock Ya-Sin, but with his trade — which would have been a release had no partner been found — the Raiders are now going to depend on guys like Webb and Amik Robertson to play meaningful snaps if someone ahead of them goes down. I always liked Mullen, so while there’s some trust with the new regime, this was a big bet to place just a few months into the job.
