Getty New Las Vegas Raiders WR Antoine Wesley.
There were a lot of eyes on the Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver room on roster cut day as there were many players on the roster bubble. The team decided to keep six wide receivers on the active roster and is bringing on more to the practice squad.
According to an August 30 post on Twitter/X from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders have signed former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Antoine Wesley to the practice squad.
The #Raiders have signed WR Antoine Wesley to their practice squad, per source. Wesley had 3 TDs in 4 starts for the #Cardinals in 2021, when they made the playoffs. He spent last year on IR in AZ.
Wesley first came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. He never ended up playing for the team but found some new life with the Cardinals in 2021. He played in 15 games, starting four of them. He had 19 receptions for 208 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Wesley, he wasn’t able to play last season due to a quadriceps tear. He showed some potential in 2021 so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was able to see some playing time for the Raiders this season. That said, the team has a deep wide receiver room so Wesley’s only chance of seeing meaningful playing time would be as a replacement for an injured player.
Phillip Dorsett Lands With Denver Broncos
Phillip Dorsett getting cut was one of the biggest surprises for the Raiders. The former first-round pick was thought to have a leg up on the competition considering he played under head coach Josh McDaniels previously on the New England Patriots. The Raiders likely would’ve brought him back on the practice squad but they never got the chance.
The veteran speedster is signing with the Denver Broncos, per an August 30 post on Twitter/X by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Free agent wide receiver Phillip Dorsett plans to sign with the #Broncos, per source.
The former first-round pick reunites with Russell Wilson from their Seattle stint together.
Dorsett briefly played with Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson when he was on the Seahawks during the 2021 season. He played in two games and had just one catch. Going to Denver makes sense for Dorsett. He’ll have a better opportunity to play meaningful snaps with Jerry Jeudy banged up and Tim Patrick out for the season. He’s never been able to live up to his status as a first-round pick but still has a lot of speed and is a dependable veteran for a team undergoing some serious changes this season.
Las Vegas Raiders Make More Roster Moves
The Raiders weren’t done adding wide receivers with the Antoine Wesley signing. The team also signed Devin Ross to the practice squad, per an August 30 post on Twitter/X by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The @Raiders have added WR Devin Ross to the practice squad.
Ross is a former Patriot but has never played a regular season game. The Raiders also sent wide receiver Chris Lacy to the Injured Reserve, per a post on Twitter/X by ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
The #Raiders have placed WR Chris Lacy on IR…he had been Waived/Injured on Sunday.
Lacy was likely going to get cut but having him on the Injured Reserve will keep him in the building for the rest of the season. Lastly, head coach Josh McDaniels announced that defensive tackle Matthew Butler is getting added to the practice squad.
#Raiders DT Matthew Butler has been signed to the practice squad, per HC Josh McDaniels
The 2022 fifth-round pick was let go on roster cut day but was able to clear waivers. The Raiders will now be able to keep him around and work with him to see if there’s still some potential there.