The Las Vegas Raiders made the tough decision to move on from former All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson. He was once one of the best kickers in the NFL, but had a couple of down years.
Matt Gay was signed in free agency, but he’s not any better than what Carlson has been, which made the move surprising. However, the Raiders have hopes that a young player can earn the job.
After the draft ended, Las Vegas struck a deal with former Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa. He became a viral sensation after revealing he learned how to kick from YouTube. If he were on the Raiders’ roster in Week 1, he’d be the first Japanese-born player to play in the NFL during the regular season.
Nicknamed the “Tokyo Toe,” he’s bound to become a fan favorite if he’s able to improve the kicking game. The Athletic’s Sam Warren ranked all of the Raiders’ undrafted free agent signings from least to most likely to make the roster. He had Matsuzawa listed at No. 2.
“Matsuzawa should be in an open competition with Matt Gay after the Raiders let Daniel Carlson go this offseason,” Warren wrote. “If the ‘Tokyo Toe’ maintains the elite accuracy that made him a Lou Groza Award finalist last year, he could find himself the starting kicker — and the first Japanese-born athlete to ever play a snap in the NFL.”
Tyler Duzansky Also Has Chance to Make Roster
Considering he’s already somewhat famous, Matsuzawa is going to get a lot of attention this offseason. One player who won’t get talked about a lot is long snapper Tyler Duzansky, whom the Raiders signed out of Penn State.
However, the team needs a long snapper and only has Alex Ward to compete with, who wasn’t on the team last season. Warren thinks Duzansky has the best chance of any undrafted rookie to make the Raiders’ roster.
“The only UDFA in a better position than Matsuzawa is the other specialist signee,” Warren wrote. “Duzansky is heralded as the best long snapper in this class, being named a Patrick Mannelly Award finalist as a senior. The Raiders didn’t bring back Jacob Bobenmoyer and signed a possible replacement in Alex Ward, who was benched and cut by the Rams last season. Duzansky could have the upper hand on the starting job as he arrives in Las Vegas.”
Other UDFA To Watch
Duzansky and Duzansky are specialists, so they won’t face too much competition to earn a roster spot. There are many other players who will have to fight a lot harder.
Former Arkansas linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. could make some noise in training camp. He previously played with Raiders linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean at Georgia. That kind of comfort level should give him the edge over some other young linebackers on the roster bubble.
Fernando Mendoza’s former Indiana teammates, wide receiver EJ Williams and running back Roman Hemby, could have a chance thanks to their connection to the quarterback. Many of these undrafted rookies will have to start on the practice squad, but there could be at least two or three to make the active roster in Week 1.
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