Five notable Raiders on the roster bubble as training camp kicks off

With training camp set to begin, the beginning of the NFL season draws closer and closer.

For some Raiders, camp marks the chance to showcase what players will make an impact for the team. However, others are in a more precarious position entering training camp, leading to them needing a good month to ensure they remain on the 53-man roster. While some do not need to worry about their spots, others are going to be looking over their shoulder all preseason long.

Here are five names to watch that will need to impress early and often to guarantee their spot this season.

Chris Smith/Trey Taylor, S

A double-header to begin this list, featuring two players in the same boat.

Smith and Taylor were both selected in the late rounds by the Raiders in 2023 and 2024, respectively. However, the regimes that drafted them are both long gone, and neither head coach Pete Carroll nor general manager John Spytek have any connection with either one. With the team signing Jeremy Chinn and Lonnie Johnson Jr. to shore up the safety room, Smith and Taylor will have to play catch up with Thomas Harper for the fourth and possibly final safety spot, if not make Carroll and Spytek consider making room for a fifth.

At least one should likely crack the practice squad if they do not make the roster, but that is the current situation for both players.

Jaylon Smith, LB

Hard luck continues to find Smith in Las Vegas, where the veteran linebacker was hoping to launch his NFL comeback bid.

When Smith was signed after trying out during rookie minicamp in May, his spot was still not guaranteed, but he at least was a veteran option. After the signing of Germaine Pratt, however, Smith found his roster spot in immediate trouble. With Pratt, Elandon Roberts and Devin White looking like roster locks, Smith is likely on the outside looking in of the roster picture to start.

He will need to outperform seventh-round pick Cody Lindenberg, as well as fellow young linebackers Amari Gainer and Tommy Eichenberg to keep his spot secure.

Kyle Philips, WR

When Philips signed back in February, he was expected to serve as valuable slot receiver depth for the Raiders.

After the draft, Philips’s situation became much more murky. With Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Tommy Mellott all being selected, the Raiders’ receiver room has suddenly become very crowded. Ignoring the possibility of outside help, Bech and Thornton are roster locks alongside Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, while the Raiders will likely want to keep Mellott to keep tabs on his development at his new position.

That likely leaves one spot remaining for Philips to try and get, where he will have to fight off the likes of Collin Johnson and Alex Bachman.

Zamir White, RB

The fall of White shows how one bad season can completely change the trajectory of a NFL career.

Heading into last season, White looked like the feature back for the Raiders, and the team did little to add anyone in front of him. The experiment did not work out, as White was injured and ineffective while the Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the league. Sincere McCormick looked like the best back the Raiders had last season, and the additions of Ashton Jeanty and Raheem Mostert have sent White tumbling down the depth chart.

He now heads into training camp locked into a battle for the fourth and likely final running back spot against Dylan Laube, who offers more value as a receiver and on special teams than White.