As summer comes to an end, arguably the hardest time for many head coaches and GMS in the NFL is underway. Las Vegas Raiders Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce have to nail down the roster and begin cutting players to make this happen.
The Raiders have already begun trimming down their roster, but the final decisions are always the most difficult. Two notable players could be cut ahead of Week 1.
The Raiders recently signed running back Alexander Mattison this offseason. Having parted ways with Josh Jacobs, the Raiders brought in Mattison to provide depth, with Zamir White expected to take over as the new starter. However, Mattison could be out before taking a regular-season snap.
Mattison had big shoes to fill after the Vikings lost Dalvin Cook last year, but he failed to impress - he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and ended with 892 yards from scrimmage as the Minnesota starter.
With the emergence of rookie sixth-round pick Dylan Laube and the team already having Ameer Abdullah on the roster, Mattison could be the odd man out when it comes to maintaining a roster spot.
"That dude is special," Antonio Pierce said of Mattison when speaking to media during a Raiders practice. "And he's gritty. he's a gritty RB. One thing - he surprises you with his speed. … He's going to be a difficult matchup, and it's already showing up in practice."
Another cut candidate could potentially be defensive end Tyree Wilson. The 2023 draft's No. 7 overall pick had a very quiet rookie campaign and hasn't done much to separate himself in training camp or the preseason this year.
Granted, the Raiders will more than likely look for a possible trade market for this player before cutting him from the roster, but his name still needs to be mentioned as a top pick whose development hasn't come as quickly as this team probably hoped or predicted.
Having been held out of the Raiders’ third preseason game, Wilson hasn't shown that he is a better player than backup Janarius Robinson. During the preseason, Wilson was given below-average grades in both games he played in. In those two games, Pro Football Focus credited Wilson with two pressures on 48 defensive snaps, 27 of which were pass plays.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Raiders' roster cuts as we approach the Tuesday afternoon deadline.
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