The NFL’s cutdown day has come and gone, meaning the Las Vegas Raiders have their initial 53-man roster set. There are a few surprises every year, so let’s dive into the five biggest ones from this past Tuesday.
Aidan O’Connell makes it
The league changed its rules where up to two players can be placed on injured reserve during cutdown day and designated to return, meaning they don’t count against the 53-man roster but don’t have to sit out for the entire season, missing at least four regular-season games instead.
With O’Connell suffering a fractured wrist in the final preseason game and expected to be out for six to eight weeks, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he’d receive this designation. On top of that, he had four turnovers during the preseason, and the Raiders traded a fifth-round pick for Kenny Pickett on Monday. However, O’Connell made the team and occupied one of the 53 roster spots while rookie Cam Miller was cut.
So, instead of taking advantage of the new rule—which Las Vegas did with safety Lonnie Johnson Jr.—the offense has two backup quarterbacks on the roster and neither is a long-term starting option. Pickett is on the last year of his rookie contract while O’Connell has two years left, and Geno Smith is signed through 2027. That makes this move a bit of a head-scratcher.
To be fair, Miller did clear waivers and is coming back to Vegas on the practice squad, per Silver and Black Pride’s Tristen Kuhn.
Tommy Mellott gets cut
Don’t get it twisted, Mellott didn’t show anything as a wide receiver during the preseason, catching two passes for one yard in three games. But the organization knew he was going to take some time to develop when it drafted the former FCS quarterback and asked him to switch positions while making a major jump in the level of competition. Also, part of the reason he was drafted was his ability to contribute on special teams.
Instead, the Raiders opted to keep four receivers and sign Amari Cooper off the street to round out the position group. Again, this isn’t to say that Mellott was expected to play a significant role on the team this year. However, it was surprising to see the sixth-round pick get left off the roster given the circumstances.
This could have been a situation where the rookie and running back Dylan Laube were competing for a roster spot via a role on special teams, and Laube won that job. Mellott was also not listed when the Raiders announced their practice squad.
10 offensive linemen
Most teams only roster nine offensive linemen and dress eight on gameday, so Las Vegas will be one of the few clubs to keep 10 guys in the trenches. The surprise here is that Will Putnam made the team. Putnam received some hype during last year’s training camp but was pretty quiet this summer, and posted a slightly above-average 63.6 grade from Pro Football Focus during the preseason for what that’s worth.
The 2024 undrafted free agent will serve as the team’s backup center behind Jordan Meredith, which is another interesting layer to this storyline. Jackson Powers-Johnson’s switch from center to guard during camp has been well-documented, and presumptively, he would fill in at the pivot if something were to happen to Meredith. That suggests the coaching staff doesn’t trust Powers-Johnson at center and really wants him to stick at guard.
Also, Dylan Parham has experience playing center and could take over those duties in a pinch, and free-agent signing Alex Cappa will likely be the first guard off the bench. That leads to more questions about what Putnam’s role will be and why he made the team.
Leki Fotu makes it
Fotu suffered an injury early in training camp and was sidelined for the team’s first two preseason games before returning last weekend against the Cardinals. Missing that much time and having a less-than-stellar career so far made it seem like the six-year veteran would likely get cut. However, he did play well in Arizona, earning an 80.9 PFF grade, and the defense needs help at nose tackle.
That being said, Zach Carter is the better overall player of the two, but Fotu got the roster spot over Carter since the latter is more of a 3-technique defensive tackle than a nose. Still, rookie JJ Pegues looked solid when lining up over the center during the preseason, adding to the surprise of Fotu getting the nod.
Sincere McCormick let go
To be fair, this shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to anyone who was paying close attention over the last month. McCormick had just eight carries in all three preseason games, and Laube offers more value on special teams, squeezing the former off the roster.
Where the shock value comes in is that, heading into training camp, many would have expected the 2022 undrafted free agent to make the team over Zamir White or Laube, given how last season played out for those three.
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