Klint Kubiak and John Spytek kept it as simple as possible with the Raiders’ 16-man practice squad, and it worked perfectly
The Las Vegas Raiders just brought all former 90-man roster players back to their 16-man practice squad.
The Las Vegas Raiders have finalized their 53-man roster. They followed it up the next day by locking in their 16-man practice squad. This is the time of year when things get a little chaotic. Why? Well, because teams finalize their initial 53-man roster, but that roster doesn’t always look the same a few days later.
Teams will put somebody on their initial 53-man roster just so they don’t risk losing them to another team. Then they move that player to the practice squad, injured reserve, or wherever else after the deadline passes.
For the Raiders, though, the practice squad itself is pretty straightforward. Every single player on the 16-man practice squad was already on Las Vegas’ 90-man roster. There is not one outside addition.
And when you looked at the 90-man roster before cutdowns, you could already identify most of these names as players who weren’t going to crack the 53. Certain position groups are stacked, others aren’t, and that reality dictates where teams go when filling out their practice squad.
Defensive line on the Raiders practice squad
Brandon Cleveland, the seventh-round pick from this past draft, starts on the practice squad. That’s where everybody had him projected. He’s more of a project at nose tackle than a guy the Raiders expected to come in and start.
Jahfari Harvey, defensive end, made some plays during the preseason and earned his spot. Cameron McGrone is a name a lot of fans wanted on the 53-man roster at linebacker because the depth isn’t great at that position, and the Michigan product played well in the preseason. But he ended up on the practice squad, and honestly, that’s a really good deal for the Raiders. Cian Sloan, defensive end from North Carolina State, showed out in the preseason. The Raiders need him back. Gary Smith III, an undrafted free agent pickup from UCLA, flashed some good plays on the interior during preseason games.
Special teams has an impact on the practice squad
Tokyo Toe made the practice squad at kicker, and this one is worth watching. Maybe the Raiders still have faith that he can unlock the elite accuracy he showed in college. Because in the preseason it just didn’t translate.
Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said at one point he’s never seen anything like what he has done, where in practice he’s nails, in college he’s nails, and then in preseason games he’s just not. DeCamillis didn’t know why it didn’t translate. Las Vegas wants to see what his development looks like because Matt Gay is not going to be on this team forever.
Tackle Kamar Missouri, tight end Chris Mayrick, and running back Dare Ogunbowale were other guys listed. Ogunbowale was in contention for the final running back spot. Dylan Laube got it over him. Roman Hemby, running back, battled for a potential roster spot but didn’t quite make it.
There was an argument that Ogunbowale would be a better fit because the current running back room has almost no experience outside of whatever Ashton Jeanty did last season. Ogunbowale is a seven-year veteran. That felt close to a lock. It wasn’t.
Albert Okwuegbunam, the tight end from Missouri listed at 6’5, is a veteran many people wanted on the roster solely because of his size. He made the practice squad instead. Will Putnam, center out of Clemson who has been with the team for some time now, also landed on the practice squad.
4 fan favorites close out the practice squad
The final four names are all players fans wanted back on this team in some capacity, whether on the 53 or the 16-man practice squad. Obviously, we already mentioned Slone and Smith.
Deven Thompkins is a special teams contributor. Las Vegas loved what they saw from him in practice, and he had a great camp even if it didn’t fully translate to preseason games. There might be something there. Greedy Vance played for the Raiders last season, logged a handful of snaps, and performed decently.
He played well against the Houston Texans in the preseason and can play in the slot, a position the Raiders will need covered if a guy like Taron Johnson goes down. This is a solid 16-man practice squad with no real complaints. It’s pretty much exactly who you would have expected.
