With cut-down day coming on Saturday, we have officially entered roster projection season. There have been quite a few outstanding individual preseason performances for the Oakland Raiders, so the coaching staff will have a bunch of tough decisions to make. Below the guys from the Fly Sweep Podcast take their shot at predicting what the roster will look like for Week 1.
Fly Sweep Podcast’s 53-Man Raiders Roster
Quarterback
On the roster: Derek Carr and Mike Glennon
Cut: Nathan Peterman
Glennon has done enough to prove that he’s worthy of a roster spot, and the only question is if head coach Jon Gruden wants to keep three quarterbacks. With how bad the start to Peterman’s career has been, the quarterback should have no problem clearing waivers and Oakland can place him on the practice squad. That would be the most efficient way for the team to keep three quarterbacks.
Fullback
On the roster: Alec Ingold
Cut: Keith Smith
Smith had an impressive showing against the Packers last week. However, Ingold is younger, cheaper and been just as impressive. At this point, Smith is putting film together to try and land with another team.
Running Back
On the roster: Josh Jacobs, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington
Cut: Doug Martin, James Butler and Mack Brown
Heading into training camp running back was the biggest roster question in regards to Washington and Martin. On Sunday, the former Buccaneer was placed on IR, so we have our answer.
Wide Receiver
On the roster: Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, J.J. Nelson, Ryan Grant, Dwayne Harris and Keelan Doss
Cut: Marcell Ateman, Rico Gafford, De’Mornay Pierson-El and Keon Hatcher
You could argue that UC Davis product Keelan Doss is the Raiders preseason MVP. The former Aggie has done more than enough to prove he is worthy of a roster spot, and probably won’t clear waivers if he is cut. The biggest decision moving forward, is who to keep on the practice squad: Marcell Ateman or Rico Gafford?
Offensive Line
On the Roster: Kolton Miller, Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson, Trent Brown, Brandon Parker, Jonathan Cooper, Jordan Devey, Denver Kirkland, David Sharpe and Denzelle Good
Suspended: Richie Incognito
Cut: Tyler Roemer, Lester Cotton, Andre James, Cameron Hunt and Justin Murray
Since suspended players do not count towards the 53-man roster, Incognito’s suspension gives Oakland some flexibility with the offensive line. There probably won’t be too many surprises coming from this group.
Listen to the Fly Sweep Podcast breakdown the defense (7:00-49:30) and discuss: preseason game #3 against the Packers (1:45-6:50), the latest episode of Hard Knocks (49:33-56:35) and the quack of the week (56:42-end).