The Las Vegas Raiders have one preseason game left before they must trim the roster from 90 to 53 players. Every NFL team faces difficult decisions in the final days of August, but the Raiders have a wrinkle that makes their cuts even more complicated.

The punt returner and kick returner spots carry enormous weight in determining which players survive at running back, wide receiver, and cornerback. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis will have significant influence over which skill players stick on the back end of the roster.

Tre Tucker knows how hard the returner job really is

Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker has been through this process before. As a veteran now, Tucker was asked about the competition behind him and what he learned as a rookie when he was thrust into the return game. His answer shed light on just how much preparation goes into fielding punts at the NFL level.

“We have a lot of talented guys vying for that spot back there, and it’s hard to catch a punt. Danny Amendola, my rookie year, set me miles ahead, like throwing grass in the air to see the wind and things like that,” Tucker said.

#Raiders WR Tre Tucker: "We have a lot of talented guys vying for the spot back there, and it's hard to catch a punt. Danny Amendola, my rookie year, set me miles ahead, like throwing grass in the air to see the wind, and things like that."

— Justin Churchill (@ChurchillAtoZ) August 23, 2026

That kind of detail matters when you consider the players competing for those return roles. Several of them don’t have a ton of experience catching punts in live game situations, and the margin for error is razor thin.

The candidates and what’s at stake

Wide receiver Malik Benson has some return experience, but he also might be too valuable at his primary position to risk back there. Benson has been one of the better receivers throughout training camp, and the Raiders may need him focused entirely on offense.

Running back Dylan Laube presents a different case. The return game may be his clearest path to making the roster for a third straight year. Laube looked good in the last preseason game, scoring a touchdown and contributing as both a receiver and a runner. If he locks down a return role, his roster spot becomes much harder to take away.

Then there’s Dare Ogunbowale, who ironically kicked and made a field goal in a preseason game. That’s not why he’d earn a special teams role, but he has the versatility to contribute as a gunner or returner.

Dareke Young is another name fighting for a final roster spot, and special teams ability could be the deciding factor. The same goes for E.J. Williams, Chase Roberts, and others on the fringe.

Special teams will have the last say

The reality is that special teams often gets glossed over during preseason evaluation. But the Raiders know better. Games are won and lost on special teams all the time, and Las Vegas is going to make sure that phase of the game doesn’t become a reason they drop contests during the regular season.

DeCamillis will put the right players back there, and those decisions will ripple across the roster. Which running back and receiver makes it? Which defensive back sticks around as the fifth or sixth corner? The return game answers those questions.

Over the next few days, keep an eye on the special teams reps. The punt returner and kick returner competitions aren’t just about who fields the ball cleanest — they’re about who makes the 53-man roster and who goes home.