Raiders 53-man roster projection: What did we learn in OTAs and minicamp?

New York Times

5 hours ago

No final roster decisions are made during OTAs, but there was valuable insight about the pecking order throughout the Las Vegas Raiders' roster. While several starters on both sides of the ball appear locked in, a few key jobs remain in the air. As always, there will be strong competition to carve out depth roles once training camp begins in July.
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General manager John Spytek and coach Pete Carroll are early in the process of formulating what the roster will look like, and there's still potential for them to make outside additions before the start of the season. For the most part, OTAs were about laying a foundation.
'We learned a lot,' Carroll said last week. 'The whole purpose here is to figure them out. … We've gone to great depths trying to get to understand our guys, what's important to them, what are their goals and their principles, and how they approach stuff so that we can better teach them and reach them.'
Here's a post-OTAs 53-man roster projection for the Raiders.
Starter: Geno Smith
Depth: Aidan O'Connell, Cam Smith
Analysis: Cam Smith's reps in OTAs were extremely limited as the coaching staff focused on getting Geno Smith and O'Connell acclimated to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's system. That'll probably remain the case in training camp, but the rookie will get some burn in preseason games. He's the most mobile quarterback on the roster, has a solid arm and is worth keeping around as a developmental backup.
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Depth: Raheem Mostert, Sincere McCormick, Zamir White
Analysis: Jeanty is the clear-cut lead back, but the Raiders want to avoid running him into the ground. Mostert will be the primary third-down back and will help spare Jeanty on early downs alongside McCormick. White will compete with Dylan Laube, a skilled returner, to make the roster.
Starter: Brock Bowers
Depth: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Analysis: Mayer missed six games due to personal reasons last season and never looked like himself. As good as Bowers is, the Raiders are hopeful Mayer has a bounce-back year to round out the tight end room and allow Kelly to justify using 12 personnel more often.
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Starters: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Dont'e Thornton
Depth: Jack Bech, Tommy Mellott
Analysis: Meyers was mostly used as a slot receiver during OTAs, while Tucker and Thornton handled the majority of the reps on the outside with the first-team offense. Bech, drafted in the second round, will make his case for a starting role in training camp. Mellott should be the backup slot receiver and could potentially carve out a role as a returner.
Starters: LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Jackson Powers-Johnson, RG Alex Cappa, RT DJ Glaze
Depth: OL Thayer Munford, G Jordan Meredith, OT Charles Grant, G Caleb Rogers
Analysis: There's an ongoing position battle at left guard between Parham, Munford and Meredith that's worth keeping an eye on. Munford played offensive tackle his first three years with the Raiders but has experience at guard in college. Rookies Grant and Rogers have a long way to go to get into the rotation.
Starters: DT Christian Wilkins, NT Leki Fotu, DT Adam Butler
Depth: Zach Carter, Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues, Jonah Laulu
Analysis: The Raiders flipped between four- and five-man fronts throughout OTAs, but we'll go with a five-man front as their base given the precarious state of their nickelback position. Wilkins missed all of OTAs as he continues to recover from the Jones fracture he suffered last October, and his health will be a major storyline going into training camp. Carter has replaced Wilkins during his absence. If Wilkins misses time in training camp, it'll be interesting to see if rookies Hemingway and Pegues can create some competition.
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Depth: Tyree Wilson, Charles Snowden, Jah Joyner
Analysis: Wilson and Snowden are jockeying to be the first defensive end off the bench. It's a pivotal year for Wilson as the Raiders decide on his fifth-year option after this season. Barring a major breakout, they'll almost certainly decline it. Joyner is a bendy, explosive pass rusher who could make some noise once the pads come on in training camp.
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Starters: Germaine Pratt, Elandon Roberts
Depth: Devin White, Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer
Analysis: Pratt signed right before the end of OTAs, so he hasn't practiced with the team yet. But it'll be a major surprise if he doesn't quickly become the starting Will linebacker in training camp. White performed well in that role in OTAs, but he's best coming off the bench at this stage of his career. Eichenberg and Gainer need to show significant special-teams value and progress on defense to make the team.
Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter
Depth: Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, Darnay Holmes
Analysis: Stokes and Porter were the starting cornerbacks throughout OTAs. Bennett is still recovering from his surgery to repair a torn labrum in November, however, and could push for one of those spots once he's at full strength. Richardson looks like more of a depth option on the outside, while Holmes is currently the only viable slot corner on the roster.
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao
Depth: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Thomas Harper
Analysis: Chinn will spend a lot of time lined up at nickelback and working in the box. When he lined up in those areas in OTAs, the Raiders often brought Johnson onto the field as a third safety. Unless the Raiders sign an upgrade at nickelback, expect that to continue into training camp. Harper was solid last season and may push Johnson for his role.
K Daniel Carlson
P AJ Cole
LS Jacob Bobenmoyer
Analysis: The Raiders have had an All-Pro-caliber kicking battery for years, and there's no reason to expect that to change. Carlson is going into the final year of his contract and could be in line for an extension soon.