The Las Vegas Raiders must cut the team down to 53 players on the active roster by 1 p.m. PDT on Tuesday.
This is an incredibly difficult process for several reasons. One, coaches develop relationships and connections with players throughout the summer, and they are human beings at the end of the day.
Second, there are so many good players the team does not want to let go of, but have to out of necessity and for the best interest of the team.
Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler are going to make those decisions on Tuesday, and one position they might spend some extra time on is the wide receiver room.
The Raiders made efforts to re-tool the wide receiver position this offseason, signing free agent Jakobi Meyers and selecting Tre Tucker in the 2023 NFL Draft. They also added ancillary pieces such as Phillip Dorsett, Cam Sims, DeAndre Carter and Kristian Wilkerson.
Not all of these receivers can make the roster, as they kept five in McDaniels’ and Ziegler’s first season. Our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. projected the Raiders would keep six receivers.
The top three receivers on the team are set: Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Meyers. Tucker will also be on the team as a depth receiver and special teams contributor.
This leaves only two spots for four players. Carter also offers special teams production, so he has a good chance of making the team.
It would then come down to only one spot among Dorsett, Sims, and Wilkerson. Dorsett has experience with the Raiders’ regime, which could give him a leg up on his contemporaries.
Wilkerson has been consistently good throughout preseason, as has Sims. Each player offers something different and unique from a skill set perspective, so the Raiders have a tough decision on hand.
When it comes to the wide receiver position, the more able bodies, the better. Also, the more able bodies who can contribute on special teams, the better.
McDaniels and Ziegler will have their hands full when deciding which wide receivers to keep on the roster, and with all the talent they have accumulated at that position, should make the right decision regardless.
