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Three Questions for the Raiders Finalized Roster
Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders made their final cuts ahead of next season, and the team they are now is the team they'll be heading into 2025 with. Here are three questions for them after looking at their finalized roster!

Three Questions

QB Room

What's going on with their quarterback room? The Raiders traded for Kenny Pickett after their backup quarterback, Aidan O'Connell, fractured his wrist in their final preseason loss against the Arizona Cardinals.

I thought this was a good move, considering they desperately needed a backup quarterback they could trust, but I didn't expect that to come at the expense of Cam Miller. Miller was drafted in the most recent draft, and now he's not even on the team.

At least, he's on their practice squad and can be activated at any time, but it's just surprising to see. Geno Smith was never the long-term answer for them at quarterback, and now their future at the position looks even more muddied as Pickett is in the mix and Miller was delegated to the practice squad.

WR Room

When taking a look at the Raiders' receiver room, it looks depleted. That'd be even more the case if the Raiders were to hold up Jakobi Meyers' trade request and send him off to another team. Who's going to step up in their receiver room?

Reuniting with Amari Cooper is a good story, and he'll provide help for Smith in his first year with the Raiders, but it's clear he's on his way out of the NFL as opposed to a player they'll keep around for the future.

Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. is are incoming rookie that the Raiders will be relying on in backup capacities, but they're going to need one of them to step up and establish themselves as a player that they can consistently rely on in the future.

CB Room

The Raiders' secondary was already lacking a lot of star power, but looking at their finalized roster, it's concerning how much they're relying on veterans to hold up in coverage. However, what concerns me the most is whether Darien Porter will be able to handle being a starter from day one.

Porter was named a long shot to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and starting from day one, he increases the chances of that happening, but if he doesn't work out for the Raiders, they don't have any other option but to work through it.

He only has Decameron Richardson backing him up, who's also a player with limited experience. They are hoping that he can adjust to NFL competition quickly, and if he can't, that's a huge liability for their defense.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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