The deadline to cut the roster down to 53 players has come and gone, and the Las Vegas Raiders have made the necessary moves. Although technically the team did get an exemption for the recently signed Josh Jacobs so for the time being the Raiders actually have 54 men on the roster.
Many of the spots are already a foregone conclusion, but there is always some intrigue amongst those final few names, and sometimes a couple of players are surprisingly let go. While there were no absolute shockers amongst the Raiders cuts, there were still some familiar names being released.
The Raiders officially announced the players they released and amongst those final cuts were wide receiver Philip Dorsett who signed with the team this offseason and was believed to be the team’s best deep threat, as well as Alex Bars who started 14 games on the offensive line last year, via Raiders News Wire’s own Ryan Ward:
Dorsett came over to the Raiders from New England and has experience within head coach Josh McDaniel’s system. Additionally, he was believed to be having a good camp, and his speed and big-play ability on the outside is always needed. There is still a possibility he remains with the team on the practice squad, but it looks as if Kristian Wilkerson’s huge night in the preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys allowed him to edge out that last spot.
Bars being released was also a bit of a surprise as the team chose to only keep on eight offensive linemen. Veteran Greg Van Roten had taken over the starting job at right guard, but having Bars on as an experienced backup would have made sense, but the Raiders coaches felt otherwise. Even still, with only eight linemen, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team looks to bring someone else on for some extra depth.
Among other players who were on last year’s roster to be released were a pair of cornerbacks in Sam Webb and Tyler Hall. Duke Shelley was also a free agent signing at the position who did not make the final roster, and this could mean fourth-round rookie Jakorian Bennett could be in line for some early playing time.
Nonetheless, things are all lined up for the Raiders when they take the field for the 2023 regular-season opener against the division-rival Denver Broncos.
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