The Las Vegas Raiders’ 53-man roster is loaded with skill position talent. New head coach Josh McDaniels will have to figure out how to work around an offensive line that is still squarely a work in progress. However, having names like Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow on the outside is a huge relief due to their ability to separate at the line of scrimmage.
Las Vegas Raiders 53-man roster projection
The Raiders were a bit late to the AFC West arms race during the free agency period, but they made up for it in a big way with some splashy moves. However, the addition of McDaniels to the offense might be the most significant, given his ability to get the ball out of his quarterback’s hands quickly.
Starters will be annotated with an asterisk.
Las Vegas Raiders offense (25)
Quarterback:
Derek Carr*
Jarrett Stidham
Running back:
Josh Jacobs*
Zamir White
Brandon Bolden
Ameer Abdullah
Fullback:
Jakob Johnson
Wide receiver:
Davante Adams*
Hunter Renfrow*
Mack Hollins*
Keelan Cole
Tyron Johnson
D.J. Turner
Tight end:
Darren Waller*
Foster Moreau
Jacob Hollister
Offensive tackle:
Kolton Miller*
Alex Leatherwood*
Brandon Parker
Thayer Munford
Offensive guard:
John Simpson*
Lester Cotton Sr.*
Dylan Parham
Jermaine Eluemunor
Center:
Andre James*
Las Vegas Raiders defense (25)
Defensive end:
Chandler Jones*
Maxx Crosby*
Clelin Ferrell
Malcolm Koonce
Defensive tackle:
Bilal Nichols*
Johnathan Hankins*
Andrew Billings
Neil Farrell Jr.
Matthew Butler
Kyle Peko
Linebacker:
Denzel Perryman*
Jayon Brown*
Divine Deablo
Darien Butler
Curtis Bolton
Cornerback:
Trayvon Mullen*
Rock Ya-Sin*
Nate Hobbs*
Anthony Averett
Amik Robertson
Darius Phillips
Safety:
Trevon Moehrig*
Johnathan Abram*
Duron Harmon
Roderick Teamer
Las Vegas Raiders specialists (3)
Daniel Carlson (K)
A.J. Cole (P)
Trent Sieg (LS)
Defensively, Patrick Graham must find a way to mesh the personnel with his scheme. That’s the most interesting part of the equation, given Johnathan Abrams’ lackluster coverage ability. What shouldn’t be an issue is getting consistent pressure on the quarterback, thanks to the talent on the edge for Las Vegas.
Trading for Rock Ya-Sin and getting Trayvon Mullen back healthy will be a boost to the defense. It will be intriguing to see how second-year CB Nate Hobbs looks in a role with far more responsibility in 2022.
The secondary will need to be much better in 2022 for the Raiders to compete against the rest of the AFC West.