Breaking Down the Oakland Raiders’ 53-Man Roster
Aug 23, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) looks to run against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Chicago Bears defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-26. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders trimmed down their roster to the final 53-man squad on Saturday afternoon. Some positions were filled very well with the appropriate guys, but there were also question marks that arose from some of the other positions.
Initially, the Raiders opted to keep all four of their quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Terrelle Pryor, Matt Flynn, Matt McGloin, and Tyler Wilson seems like one too many quarterbacks to keep on a roster, and that is exactly what the Raiders eventually realized. They ended up waiving their fourth-round draft pick Tyler Wilson, just a day after he tweeted that he had made the team.
It was a smart move by the Raiders, as there really is no point in having a third and fourth-string quarterback, regardless of however many quarterback controversies your team has. Flynn and Pryor have been competing for the starting job, while McGloin will presumably serve as the third-stringer.
Some other controversial decisions that the Raiders made was keeping four tight ends, as Jeron Mastrud, David Ausberry, Mychal Rivera, and Nick Kasa all made the squad. However, this might change once Ausberry gets healthy, but only time will tell there.
The Raiders initially opted to keep both of their punters, Marquette King and Chris Kluwe, but they came to their senses and cut ties with the veteran Kluwe. King, the younger punter with more potential, earned his spot on the roster and the Raiders should have no regrets. It also seems like both punters respect one another and Kluwe doesn’t seem too upset about Oakland’s decision.
The Raiders also decided to keep two fullbacks, with the obvious lock in Marcel Reece, and Jamize Olawale sneaking onto the team after a solid preseason. He should be a solid contributor on special teams as well.
On a positive note, the Raiders made some solid choices at a number of positions, specifically at wide receiver. Rod Streater, Brice Butler, Juron Criner, Jacoby Ford, and Denarius Moore all snagged a roster spot, and rightfully so. They are all young guys with tons of potential and the ability to make some noise in Oakland this season.
The Raiders’ cornerbacks should also be making some noise this season, as Oakland opted to keep D.J. Hayden, Mike Jenkins, Tracy Porter, Phillip Adams, Taiwan Jones, and Chemdi Chewka. Should be a solid position group and it is good to see the Raiders boast a good set of defensive backs.
Aug 29, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The full list of the 53-man roster can be found here, but the bottom line is that like every team, the Raiders made some solid picks and some questionable ones. They seemed to have addressed a good amount of their questionable choices but the new season will prove if they made the right moves or not.
From CSNBayArea.com, here is the full list of all 22 players that the Raiders cut ties with: DE Andre Carter, MLB Omar Gaither, Joselio Hanson, OT Tony Hills, S Reggie Smith, WR Conner Vernon, DE David Bass, LB Chase Thomas, OT Willie Smith, RB Deonte Williams, Conner Vernon, DT Kurt Taufa’asau, K Justin Medlock, G Lamar Mady, TE Brian Leonhardt, S Shelton Johnson, WR Greg Jenkins, TE Richard Gordon, G Jason Foster, CB Chance Casey, DE David Bass and DL Ryan Baker
The team retains the rights to receiver Andre Holmes, who was placed on the reserve-suspended list while serving a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.