Every Raiders Player Whose Roster Spot Is in Danger

After three preseason games, the Las Vegas Raiders' coaching staff faces a challenging few days filled with critical roster decisions.

Feb 10, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Starting from the day after the final game of the 2025 season, the Las Vegas Raiders have had an eventful summer. The Raiders made wholesale changes across the board in an effort to improve what has been one of the league's worst rosters and coaching staffs in recent seasons.

Las Vegas hired Klint Kubiak shortly after the Super Bowl and immediately began improving the players he had to work with. Now that the offseason programs, training camp, and the preseason are finally over, Kubiak and his staff will spend the next few days making vital decisions.

It Is That Time of Year

Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

Following Las Vegas' final preseason game of his first season as head coach, Kubiak shared his thoughts on the process of trimming the team's roster.

“It's awful. You develop relationships with these guys since April and they give you their heart and their soul and all their time, and eventually it comes down to this,” Kubiak said the day after Las Vegas’ final preseason game. 

“But there's also so many examples of guys that have been cut and make practice squads and make a team, or guys that get claimed by other teams, or guys that get cut five times and make 12-year careers."

Aug 27, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak (left) greets San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak on the field before a game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"So, there's lots of examples that you can share with them to encourage them because there's a lot of good football players that are out there in the NFL that have been sliced and diced multiple times. Coaches too, hired and fired, and you just get better. You get better and you learn and you fail forward." 

Process of Elimination

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak walks on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A decent amount of the roster decisions Las Vegas' staff will make will be made out of necessity. They cannot afford to cut from most positions, which decreases the chances they will cut, or the number of players they will cut, from a particular position.

These positions include linebacker, cornerback, quarterback, running back, safety, and, until further notice, wide receiver. Based on needs alone, Las Vegas will have to be careful about whom it chooses to keep and whom it lets go.

Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

Position Groups in Danger

Instead of listing which players, out of nearly 90 players, whose roster spot is in danger, below are a few position groups as a whole that the Raiders' coaching staff will likely choose to cut from on cut-down day.

The Raiders are moving on from nearly half of those 90 players. It is not always solely because of anything the players did or did not do.

Tight End

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Raiders have one of, if not the deepest, groups of tight ends in the National Football League, led by Brock Bowers. Assuming Bowers stays healthy, he is arguably the best tight end in the league. Michael Mayer could be the top tight end on upwards of half the teams in the league.

Including Bowers and Mayer, the Raiders listed a whopping six tight ends on their most recent depth chart. It seems inevitable that they will cut from this position group, with little fault of the players who will be cut, as there is simply no reason to carry six tight ends on a 53-man roster.

Defensive Line

Jun 3, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard speaks during a news conference during organized team activities at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rob Leonard knows the team's defensive line inside and out, having spent the past three seasons as the unit's position coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator this offseason. This may give Leonard more room to make harsher decisions within the unit.

However, the injury to Keyron Crawford in Thursday's preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers, along with the Raiders moving on from multiple defensive linemen this offseason, could be a deterrent. Still, do not be surprised to see Las Vegas move on from a defensive lineman or two.

Offensive Line

Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

The Raiders' starting offensive line is all but set. They have used the past few months to begin sorting out which players will play which positions among their reserve offensive linemen. Aside from their starting offensive line and a few dependable reserves, little is guaranteed for the unit.

Las Vegas will take the next few seasons to completely and thoroughly revamp the offensive line for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza's future. However, part of any revamp is cutting dead weight.