Raiders on roster bubble get ‘one last shot' to impress before cuts

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The Raiders roster has hovered around 90 since early May. That group has gone through a full offseason program, training camp and will conclude a preseason slate Thursday against the Seahawks.

Significant time and effort has been given to this group’s development, to foster and test the talent within.

Then, all of a sudden, it will get chopped by 40 percent. NFL roster limits fall to 53 on Saturday afternoon, leaving a massive portion of the current workforce on the street. The Raiders can re-sign 10 of those guys to the practice squad, but there’s still a huge chunk that will conclude the summer unemployed. It’s a harsh world for bubble players and eventual cuts, and the time between now and Saturday can be stressful.

Tyrell Adams has been through it before. The inside linebacker has been waived or released off of a practice squad five times in his short career, and knows the stress of this period.

“It can be (stressful) if you let it be, but you have to stay focused and put your best foot forward,” Adams said. “I’m sure some of the rookies are pretty stressed out, but you have to let it go and just play.”

Thursday offers one more chance to go play. Starters will stay on the Oakland Coliseum sideline for this one, leaving plenty of snaps for others looking for a final roster spot – there are precious few unset – or a place on the practice squad.

Adams seems like a sure thing, even as linebacker depth and special teams coverage. There are others, like linebacker Nicholas Morrow or cornerback Antonio Hamilton or receiver K.J. Brent or offensive tackle Jylan Ware, who are firmly on the roster bubble.

Others are likely cuts the Raiders hope will clear waivers and land on the practice squad. Other fates are already sealed, but there’s still hope another team will be impressed by Thursday’s game tape.

“I think the guys will get an opportunity to play,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “That’s exactly what they get with that last chance to make an impression. As I told our guys, you want to make the best impression you can for an opportunity here. You also have 31 other teams that are going to evaluate the game tape and you’re making an impression around the league as well. I think it’s important to put your best foot forward. We have a good group of men. We’d love to see as many of them as possible be playing. They work really hard. So obviously, we have tough decisions to make when it’s that time. You’re always pulling for the rest of the guys to find a home.”

The Raiders must decide on a roster combination that addresses far more than their starting lineup. They use change personnel in different packages that require more of less of a position group, and need to identify players who can help special teams coverage units that sustained significant losses since the offseason.

Those factors could push one player over another, and leave some preseason favorites off the list.

“There’s been a lot of development in a lot of different places,” Del Rio said. “We’ve had a lot of change, in particular depth on the defensive side of the ball. A lot of guys get an opportunity, whether it be on special teams, finding a role for them on defense. We play a lot of combinations. We’ve had a lot of looks with a lot of different people. So a lot of good tape to evaluate for us. Now we’re sorting through that and they get one last shot.”

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