Oakland Raiders: Final Roster Projections
The 2014 preseason is almost in the books. Those books will be placed on an out-of-the-way shelf to gather dust until the world is ready for it. At some future date, “Blake Bortles had a good, possibly very good, rookie preseason” will be an interesting tidbit in the “does the preseason matter?” discussion that we will continue to have. And Johnny Gesture will be a symbol of a simpler time.
I cannot say how last week’s 31-21 loss to Green Bay will be remembered by future generations of football nerds. But I do know what Raider Nation had to say about it afterwards, and I cannot print a single word of it.
There were bright spots, to be sure. There always are, unless you’re the Browns.
The first-string defense downright held its own against Aaron Rodgers for large stretches of the first half. On the opening drive, starring Eddie Lacy as Juggernaut, the Packers offense marched down the field for six, The Packers next three possessions netted seven yards and no first downs.
In the fourth the Raiders’ secondary fell. The Packers scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives and put themselves up 14 with 4:42 remaining in the half. Most people would call that a comfortable lead. Most People who could see how Matt Schaub was doing would have just called it.
And that’s all I have to say about that…
The Raiders’ final preseason game is on Thursday against the visiting Seahawks. It should feature almost exclusively second and third string players battling for a roster spot.
The preseason roster will become the final roster with two rounds of cuts five days apart. The first, from 90 to 75, could happen at any time between now and Tuesday at 1 pm PT. The active roster will be whittled down to 53 at 1 pm Saturday.
Here are my projections for the final roster. The 53 players are broken down by position. Following the active roster, I have also included predictions for players who will remain with the team, and with one exception, could appear on the 53-man roster at some point this season.
These players fall into a few categories.
The first is injured reserve. Players on IR are ineligible to play or participate in practice for the entirety of the 2014-2015 season. However, the Raiders can exempt one player from a season-long absence. That player is designated to return to practice after Week 6 and games after week 8.
Players who begin the regular season are physically unable to perform list (PUP) are all permitted to return the day after the Raiders’ sixth game, which, due to Oakland’s week 5 bye, places the return date the first day of week 8.
Finally, the practice squad consists of ten players who, unsurprisingly, get to practice, but not to play in games. Practice squad players are contractually free agents. As such, they may be signed to the 53-man roster on another team.
ACTIVE ROSTER
Quarterback (3)
Matt Schaub, Derek Carr, Matt McGloin
Running Back (6)
Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden, Latavius Murray, Marcel Reece, Jamize Olawale
Wide Receiver (5)
James Jones, Rod Streater, Denarius Moore, Andre Holmes, Brice Butler
Tight End (3)
Mychal Rivera, Brian Leonhardt, Scott Simonson
Offensive Line (8)
Donald Penn, Menelik Watson, Austin Howard, Gabe Jackson, Stefen Wisniewski, Khalif Barnes, Matt McCants, Kevin Boothe
Defensive Line (8)
Justin Tuck, Lamarr Woodley, Antonio Smith, Pat Sims, Justin Ellis, Shelby Harris, C.J. Wilson, Stacy McGee
Linebacker (6)
Khalil Mack, Sio Moore, Nick Roach, Miles Burris, Kaluka Maiava, Kaelin Burnett
Cornerback (7)
Tarell Brown, Carlos Rogers, Chimdi Chekwa, T.J. Carrie, Keith McGill, Neiko Thorpe, Taiwan Jones
Safety (4)
Tyvon Branch, Charles Woodson, Usama Young, Jonathan Dowling
*Dowling could be considered for the fourth safety position, but in the end, some gaping flaws need to be addressed on the practice field first; this spot can be filled form the waiver-wire
Special Teams (3)
Sebastian Janikowski, Marquette King, Jon Condo
Reserve/Injured
Kory Sheets, David Ausberry (Designated to Return), Nick Kasa
Reserve/PUP
Practice Squad
RB George Atkinson III, WR Mike Davis, WR Seth Roberts, OG Tony Bergstrom, OT Dan Kistler, DE Jack Crawford, LB Bojay Filimoeatu, LB Carlos Fields, CB Chance Casey, S Jonathan Dowling