The first week of the 2024 NFL Free Agency period has come and gone. It happened quickly, but there was no shortage of drama, as is usually the case. The Raiders made some moves, as we expected them to.

The new general manager, Tom Telesco, and head coach, Antonio Pierce, are already getting started, and some of their moves have been big and made a lot of sense. In fact, you could make a case that the Raiders have the splashiest signing of all in defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who will help take this franchise back to the identity of a hard-nosed, defensive-minded football team like they were known to be years ago.

Now that the dust has settled, let's examine the roster's current state and where it is likely to go from here.

Note: Asterisks (*) represent a 2024 free agent addition and does not include a re-signed player. Offense's base personnel is projected as 11-personnel (3 WRs, 1 TE) and defense's base personnel is projected as 4-3 base defense (four down lineman, three linebackers).

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Quarterback (2)

Presumed starter(s): Gardner Minshew*
Backup(s): Aidan O'Connell, Anthony Brown Jr.

How we got here: Last season's presumed starter, when we were at this point in the 2023 offseason, was Jimmy Garoppolo, with Brian Hoyer as the second-string QB and Aidan O'Connell being the third-stringer as the rookie quarterback. By the season's end, O'Connell was the third-stringer, and the other two were on their way out of town. This offseason, the Raiders could very well still draft a quarterback.

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Running back (5)

Presumed starter(s): Zamir White
Backup(s): Ameer Abdullah, Brittain Brown, Tyreik McAllister, Sincere McCormick

How we got here: The Raiders had one of the best running backs in the league last year in Josh Jacobs, but he decided to move on to the Green Bay Packers, which leads the Raiders with somewhat of a hole at the position. White did well last year in the few games he started, but the sample size isn't big enough for the Raiders not to draft another RB.

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Wide receiver (5)

Presumed starter(s): Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker
Backup(s): Kristian Wilkerson, D.J. Turner

How we got here: This is pretty much the same wide receiver group of last year, only Hunter Renfrow has been released, and the Raiders have yet to re-sign DeAndre Carter.

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Tight end (5)

Presumed starter(s): Michael Mayer
Backup(s): Harrison Bryant*, Cole Fotheringham, John Samuel Shenker, Zach Gentry

How we got here: Last year's unit was [pretty much the same, minus Austin Hooper signing with the New England Patriots this offseason. The Raiders signing Bryant, who is a much better run blocker than any other tight end on the roster and fits this offense.

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Offensive line (8)

Presumed starter(s): Thayer Munford (RT), D.J. Fluker (RG), Andre James (C), Dylan Parham (LG), Kolton Miller (LT)
Backup(s): Dalton Wagner, Ben Brown, Jalen McKenzie

How we got here: The Las Vegas Raiders re-signed Andre James and did not re-sign Greg Van Roten or Jermaine Eluemunor, who signed with the New York Giants. As for the right tackle spot, Thayer Munford held that down last year when he had to play, but the Raiders will likely draft another right tackle and right guard.

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Defensive line (13)

Presumed starter(s): Maxx Crosby (DE), Christian Wilkins* (DT), John Jenkins (DT), Malcolm Koonce (DE)
Backup(s): Tyree Wilson, Adam Butler, Janarius Robinson, Byron Young, Charles Snowden, Elerson Smith, David Agoha, Nesta Jade Silvera, Marquan McCall
How we got here: A lot of this defensive line is the same. They have not yet brought back Jerry Tillery or a few others but did bring back Butler and Jenkins. They also made the splashiest move in free agency by bringing in Wilkins. If Wilson can develop into something even better than what he was last season, this defensive line will be elite.

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Linebacker (5)

Presumed starter(s): Robert Spillane (WLB), Divine Deablo (MLB)
Backup(s): Amari Burney, Darien Butler, Luke Masterson

How we got here: It's the same unit as last season, but Curtis Bolton is a free agent. The Raiders will likely start the season with this unit, but very well could draft a linebacker in the later rounds for depth.

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Cornerback (6)

Presumed starter(s): Jack Jones (CB), Brandon Facyson (CB), Nate Hobbs (NB)
Backup(s): Jakorian Bennett, Cornell Armstrong, Sam Webb

How we got here: The Raiders have a very similar unit for next season, although Facyson didn't really play due to a preseason injury. There are a lot of holes to fill, though. You would like the Raiders to draft another cornerback and maybe even a nickel in the later rounds.

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Safety (5)

Presumed starter(s): Tre'von Moehrig (SS), Marcus Epps (FS)
Backup(s): Jaydon Grant, Chris Smith, Tyreque Jones

How we got here: The Raiders need some better depth here, and maybe that's through day three of the draft, but for the most part, this unit is locked in. With Moehrig playing in a contract season, though, they may attack the safety position earlier; who knows? Or, they may just re-sign him next season since he did have a stellar year in 2023.

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Specialists (3)

Presumed starter(s): A.J. Cole (P), Daniel Carlson (K), Jacob Bobenmeyer (LS)
Returners: Ameer Abdullah (KR/PR)

How we got here: The Raiders have two of the best specialists in the game. You could make a case for both of them being the best at their position; however, now we have to figure out who will be the returners, and for right now, it's Abdullah.

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Where do things go from here?

Rostered players: 59
Spots available: 31

The Raiders still need their quarterback of the future, but after signing Gardner Minshew, it's unclear how they will go about that. They could trade up, or they could draft one in the second round.

Las Vegas also needs defense in the secondary. They need to fill in those holes through the draft and develop. Doing that with some of the offensive line issues would be ideal as well.

Luckily, the Raiders have a good amount of picks at good spots in the draft. We know they will be aggressive, but now it's about being patient and seeing what the team does.

5 biggest Raiders draft needs for 2024

These are the biggest needs by far.