The Las Vegas Raiders officially wrapped up their offseason program this week and will now look ahead to training camp, which is scheduled to begin late next month.
The Raiders were actually slated to hold one more practice of minicamp Thursday, but head coach Antonio Pierce decided to cancel the session and reward the players for their hard work this spring with a day off instead.
The biggest concern about the month-plus break ahead of training camp is that the players will be left to their own devices when it comes to staying ready. Pierce addressed that on Thursday.
"We're not going backwards," he said. "It is on you to come here and the physical shape is on you, to be ready mentally and emotionally... We're going with the guys that put in the time and commitment to do what we want to do over the next six months. And that's just to do one thing and one thing only and that is win, and I want winners.
"Winners never stop working," he added. "You can decompress but I didn't say you can stop working. So, we've got to find a way of that, and I just told them when they come back, kick in the front door and let's get this bad boy rolling."
After the events of mandatory minicamp, we're going to put out a new 53-man roster projection, something we haven't done since after the draft. An asterisk denotes a new addition from our last projection, and players in bold are draft selections, and players in italics are undrafted free agents.
Raiders 53-man projection
Quarterback (3)
Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew, Anthony Brown*
Analysis: While it's hard to say who's winning between Minshew and O'Connell, we can say that Brown has taken the lead in the race for QB3 over UDFA Carter Bradley after a strong showing at minicamp. It remains to be seen if the Raiders even carry a third quarterback on the 53-man roster, but if not they will certainly have one on the practice squad.
Running back (4)
Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube
Analysis: Nothing has changed here since the draft. We still expect White to lead the backfield, with Mattison helping out. Laube has been a standout all offseason long and now has a shot to jump Abdullah on the depth chart.
Wide receiver (6)
Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Michael Gallup, Jalen Guyton*, Tulu Griffin
Analysis: Guyton is a new addition since our post-draft projection. We still have a UDFA (Griffin) grabbing that final spot, but in reality it's totally up for grabs. The first five feel pretty locked-in, though.
Tight end (4)
Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant, Cole Fotheringham
Analysis: Take your pick at the No. 4 spot on the depth chart (it's also possible the Raiders only keep three), but the first three are rock-solid. If Bowers pans out and Mayer takes a step forward in his second year, the Raiders will have an elite tight ends room.
Offensive line (9)
LT Kolton Miller, LG Jackson Powers-Johnson, C Andre James, RG Dylan Parham, RT Thayer Munford Jr., G/C Cody Whitehair, G/T Andrus Peat*, OT Delmar Glaze, OT Dalton Wagner
Analysis: The addition of Peat really shores things up behind the five starters and gives the Raiders another insurance policy, both on the interior and at left tackle. Another notable change from our last projection is Parham at right guard, which wasn't confirmed to be a thing until minicamp this week. Powers-Johnson is still starting in this projection, but that got a bit shakier after he missed significant practice time during the offseason program. He was out there for minicamp, although didn't fully participate and starting left guard reps went to Whitehair.
Defensive line (10)
Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, Malcolm Koonce, Tyree Wilson, John Jenkins, Adam Butler, Matthew Butler, Byron Young, David Agoha, Ron Stone
Analysis: Other than Wilkins and Crosby, we didn't hear a lot from the defensive line during minicamp, so we're keeping this projection the same for now.
Linebacker (4)
Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, Luke Masterson, Tommy Eichenberg
Analysis: Amari Burney is someone to keep an eye on if the Raiders carry a fifth linebacker, but Las Vegas should be just fine with this group if they keep four.
Cornerback (6)
Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs, Decamerion Richardson, Brandon Facyson, M.J. Devonshire*
Analysis: Devonshire finally put himself on the map with an interception at the Raiders' final practice of minicamp. Granted, that's not a lot, but it's more than most other cornerbacks on the roster were able to do. Bennett helped his cause with a pair of interceptions during minicamp and is the favorite for CB2.
Safety (4)
Tre'von Moehrig, Marcus Epps, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Trey Taylor
Analysis: Pola-Mao recently received a shoutout from senior defensive assistant Rob Ryan, with the veteran coach saying we "better watch out" for the third-year safety. That makes keeping Pola-Mao in this projection an even easier decision.
Specialists (3)
K Daniel Carlson, P AJ Cole, LS Jacob Bobenmoyer
Analysis: Barring injury, these will be the Raiders' specialists in 2024. The team did not bring in anyone to challenge them this offseason.
