With the offseason programs now behind us it is time to shift our focus to training camp which will get underway in about one month from now.
There are plenty of new faces on the Raiders current 90-man roster but only 53 will be fortunate enough to make the team come August 29th when teams across the NFL will need to finalize their rosters.
Take a look at my first try at a Raiders 53-man roster projection.
Quarterback (3)
Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, Aidan O’Connell
The Raiders decided to move on from Derek Carr following a disappointing 2022 season and opted to sign the oft injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo has familiarity in Josh McDaniels offensive system but comes with serious injury concerns. He missed all of the offseason program as he recovers from foot surgery but the belief is that he should be ready to go for training camp in July.
Brian Hoyer, another QB who is well versed in McDaniels offense, was also signed in free agency. 2023 fourth round draft pick Aidan O’Connell was receiving lots of hype throughout OTA and minicamp practices but as much as some would like to anoint him the QB of the future, I think that is a little premature.
Running Back (5)
Josh Jacobs, Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, Brittain Brown, Jakob Johnson
The biggest storyline heading into training camp will be what happens with Josh Jacobs and his contract dispute with the Raiders. He has until July 17th to sign the franchise tender that was placed on him. Pending anything catastrophic, I expect him to play under the $10.1 million dollar contract the franchise tag will pay him.
Should Jacobs decide to play hard ball, then the Raiders have two young and intriguing options in second year players Zamir White and Brittain Brown available. Because of the success and effectiveness of Jacobs last season, neither saw meaningful game action.
Ameer Abdullah saw 15.8% of the offensive snaps compared to just 7.4% for Brandon Bolden in 2022. I expect Abdullah to be the primary third down back.
Wide Receiver (6)
Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow, Tre Tucker, Cam Sims, DeAndre Carter
There is still some speculation that Hunter Renfrow could be traded prior to the start of the season but for now I have him on my 53-man projection. Personally, I would love to see what Renfrow could do with a full season surrounded by Adams, Meyers, and new tight end Michael Mayer.
DeAndre Carter survives the cut because of his abilities in both kickoff and punt return games. Cam Sims offers something that none of the others vying for a spot can, a 6 foot 5 inch frame.
Tight End (3)
Michael Mayer, Austin Hooper, Jesper Horstead
The only real drama with this position group boils down to Jesper Horstead or OJ Howard. Howard has been a huge bust since being selected in the first round of the 2017 draft and has only 35 receptions in the last three seasons combined. Horstead is familiar with the offense and was a special teams contributor with the Raiders last season.
Offensive Line (9)
Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, Andre James, Alex Bars, Jermaine Elumenor, Brandon Parker, Thayer Munford Jr., Greg Van Roten, Hroniss Grasu
The Raiders are running it back with a group that largely overachieved a year ago. It was well documented that the Raiders wanted to draft Parris Johnson from Ohio State in April’s draft so it’s fair to say they are not content with the right tackle position.
Parker will be the swing tackle, Van Roten can has played both right and left tackle during his eight year career and Grasu, along with Parhman can handle the center position should James miss time.
Defensive Line (9)
Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones, Tyree Wilson, Jerry Tillery, Bilal Nichols, Byron Young, Neil Ferrel Jr., Matthew Butler, Nesta Jade Silvera
The interior part of the line is where everyone will center their attention later this summer. There should be plenty of competition there between Young, Ferrell Jr., Butler and veterans John Jenkins and Jordan Willis.
Linebacker (5)
Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, Luke Masterson, Darien Butler, Amari Burney
In my opinion this is the weakest position group on the roster. In a recent episode of the podcast, I discussed the youth and inexperience of the linebackers. Divine Deablo will wear the green dot and is expected to be the quarterback of the defense. According to Pro Football Focus, in 2022, Robert Spillane earned a 77.3 run defense grade compared to a 54.5 pass defense grade (46th of 49 LB).
Secondary (10)
Duke Shelley, David Long Jr., Nate Hobbs, Jakorian Bennett, Amik Robertson, Brandon Facyson, Tre’von Moehrig, Marcus Epps, Chris Smith, Roderick Teamer.
There are many question marks in the Raiders secondary. Patrick Graham would be wise to put Hobbs back in the slot position and allow Shelley, Long Jr., Facyson, and rookie Jakorian Bennett battle it out for playing time on the outside. Because of the uncertainty at cornerback I opted to keep six, also I think based on the growth from Amik Robertson last year, he warranted a spot on the 53.
Specialist (3)
Daniel Carlson, AJ Cole, Jacob Bobenmoyer
