Las Vegas Raiders’ Andrew Janocko somewhat reveals how the team plans to tackle toughest roster decisions of the offseason
The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of important and tough roster decisions they will be forced to make soon.
The Las Vegas Raiders face one of the most difficult stretches of the offseason. After the final preseason game this week, every NFL team must trim its roster from 90 players down to 53. From there, teams select 16 players for the practice squad, hoping some of the guys they had to cut remain available. For the Raiders, these decisions carry extra weight because the front office built the 90-man roster so well.
Las Vegas built a roster designed to push every player to the brink. The back-end guys on the bubble were brought in specifically to make the coaching staff’s job harder when choosing the final 53. That’s a good problem to have, but it doesn’t make the process any less painful.
Andrew Janocko offers insight into the evaluation process
Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko recently spoke about how the coaching staff approaches these roster cuts.
“We are progressing as a team, every player and position group. We like to see the guys develop in practice and in the preseason games, then we base our decisions on that,” Janocko said.
That quote matters because Janocko is pulling back the curtain on how the Raiders evaluate their roster. They look at every single player and how he has developed over the last three or four weeks, both in preseason games and in practice. Those observations form the foundation for roster decisions, particularly for the back end of the 53.
Every position group presents a different challenge
The Raiders aren’t applying a one-size-fits-all approach here. Each position group demands something different. In some cases, the coaching staff is looking for a depth piece, a player they know will have to contribute in 2026. In other cases, they want a developmental prospect, someone who can grow into a role player over the next few years.
That developmental approach has worked before. Jonah Laulu was on the brink of not making the Indianapolis Colts‘ roster before the Raiders signed him, kept him, and developed him into a starter on the defensive line. Things like that happen all the time, and Las Vegas is getting good at finding back-end talent. They’ve done it with undrafted free agents and players who aren’t household names, like Cian Sloan and Patrick Johnson. Both of those guys are fighting for the final edge rusher spot, or maybe the Raiders just end up keeping both of them.
Cornerback and running back battles add to the difficulty
The cornerback room presents its own tough battle on the back end, with the nickel and corner positions creating competition that will force difficult choices. The running back room is no different. Do the Raiders keep Dylan Laube, or do they go with Dare Ogunbowale? Roman Hemby factors into that equation as well.
Tough roster decisions exist all over this roster, and they’re coming soon. The Raiders will have to make them, and we’ll keep up with all of them here at A to Z Sports.
