HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders are moving on to the regular season, as the NFL today required them to trim their roster down to the 53-man limit.But don’t be fooled: the roster work for GM John Spytek is far from over, as the Raiders hold the right of first refusal on waivers.Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SIWhat This MeansBecause the Raiders finished with the NFL’s worst record, they secured the No. 1 overall pick. They selected Fernando Mendoza—a quarterback widely regarded by NFL executives as the best prospect of the past four drafts. This also gives Las Vegas waiver priority, allowing them the first opportunity to claim any player released by other teams.John Spytek, Mark Davis | Darrell Craig Harris, On SIWith the Raiders in full rebuild mode, expect them to be active on the waiver wire. As teams trim their rosters to 53, Las Vegas will have a prime chance to scoop up quality players cut elsewhere—potentially adding key pieces immediately after Sunday’s final roster deadline.Understanding What You Will SeeThe position group is underlined, followed by the number of players on the team per the 53-man roster. John Spytek | Arnie Bazemore, On SIBolded players are starters, and italicized players mean I can’t predict their starting status, such as RGs Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers and WRs Jack Bech and Malik Benson, who are fighting for starting roles. Finally, an (R) after a player's name denotes that they are a rookie. The work of Klint Kubiak and John Spytek has been impressive, and let's dig right in.Raiders | Darrell Craig Harris, ON SIProjected 53-Man RosterQuarterback (3)1. Kirk Cousins2. Fernando Mendoza (R)3. Aidan O'ConnellRunning Back/Fullback (4)4. Ashton JeantyLas Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI5. Mike Washington Jr. (R)6. Dylan Laube7. FB/RB/TE Connor HeywardTight End (3)Brock Bowers | Arnie Bazemore, On SI8. Brock Bowers9. Michael Mayer 10. Ian ThomasOffensive Line (9)Kolton Miller | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI11. LT Kolton Miller12. LG Spencer Burford13. C Tyler LinderbaumKirk Cousins, Tyler Linderbaum | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI14. RG Jackson Powers-Johnson 15. RG Caleb Rogers16. RT Delmar "DJ" Glaze 17. Trey Zuhn III (R)Trey Zuhn lll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI18. T Charles Grant19. G Atonio MafiWide Receivers (6)Malik Benson | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI20. WR Malik Benson (R)21. WR Tre Tucker22. WR Jalen Nailor23. WR Jack BechLas Vegas Raiders WR Jack Bech | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI24. WR Dont'e Thornton25. WR Dareke YoungInside Linebacker (4)26. ILB Nakobe DeanQuay Walker | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI27. ILB Quay Walker28: ILB Tommy "Freaking" Eichenberg29. ILB Cody LindebergDefensive Line (6)Las Vegas Raiders DL Thomas Booker | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI30. DT Thomas Booker IV31. DT Adam Butler32. DT Tonka HemingwayTonka Hemingway | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI33. DT Folorunso Fatukasi34. DT JJ Pegues35. DT Jonah LauluOLB/EDGE (4)Maxx Crosby | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI36. EDGE Maxx Crosby37. OLB/EDGE Malcolm Koonce38. OLB/EDGE Patrick Johnson39. OLB/EDGE Kwity PayeSafeties (5)Jeremy Chinn | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI40. S Jeremy Chinn41. S Isaiah Pola-Mao (IPM)42. S/DB Treydan Stukes (R)43. S Dalton Johnson (R)Dalton Johnson | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI44. S Tristin McCollumCornerbacks (6)45. CB Taron Johnson46. CB Eric StokesEric Stokes | Arnie Basemore, On SI47. CB Darien Porter48. CB Hezekiah Masses (R)49. CB Jermod McCoy (R)50. CB Decamerion RichardsonSpecialists (3)Las Vegas Raiders P A.J. Cole | Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated51. P AJ Cole52. K Matt Gay53. LS Alex WardBy the NumbersKirk Cousins | Arnie Bazemore, On SIOffense: 25 PlayersDefense: 25 PlayersSpecialists: Three PlayersRookies: Eight (Original Prediction: Eight to 12)Fernando Mendoza | Darrell Craig Harris, On SIPlaced on IR (2)OLB Keyron Crawford (R)TE Carter RunyonAug 27, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak looks on during warmups before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThree Biggest Takeaways1. On the offensive line, the Raiders' keeping G Antonio Mafi surprised me. Great young man, talented player, but watching in practice and talking with the people in the building, this one was the only “Surprise.” Antonio Mafi | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI2. On the defensive line, the Raiders letting UDFA hidden gem Cian Slone go and keeping a talented Folorunso Fatukasi tells you how concerned they are at DT. Slone did enough to make this team, and I thought he would; being a rookie, people inside thought he would as well. The lack of talent on the DL was too brutal to ignore, and Fatukasi did enough and deserves to be here. It is a rebuild, but even in a rebuild, you have to compete. Tristin McCollum | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI3. I have said for weeks that Tristin McCollum had played well enough to make this team, but I didn’t see a way. The cut of Slone was like that. What should impress the Raiders is that Slone was a promising prospect, but McCollum is ready now and young. This move took guts by Spytek, and I respect that.Latest Raiders PodcastAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow