Despite some notable struggles to start the season, the Las Vegas Raiders have decided against making much roster movement. With so many young players on the roster the team would like to develop, it becomes more difficult to make cuts for new players.
However, the Raiders are considering a couple of names. According to Tuesday’s transaction wire, Las Vegas hosted linebacker Luke Masterson for a workout.
That’s a name that should be very familiar to Raiders fans. Masterson joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and lasted three seasons. He started 10 games in that span.
Masterson wasn’t brought back this year with head coach Pete Carroll taking over, but defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is still in Las Vegas and knows the linebacker well. The Raiders are pretty deep at linebacker, but Masterson was a key special teams player for the team.
Las Vegas’ special teams looked awful against the Washington Commanders in Week 3. They gave up a long return to start the game and then a punt return for a touchdown later in the game. Perhaps they believe that Masterson could be a factor in special teams.
Shemar Bartholomew Also Gets Workout
Masterson wasn’t the only player to receive a workout. The Raiders also took a look at defensive back Shemar Bartholomew.
The 25-year-old was an undrafted free agent signing of the New York Jets in 2024 and spent training camp with the Carolina Panthers this offseason. The former Georgia Southern standout has good size and speed, but doesn’t have a ton of experience playing against high-level competition.
He did play five games for the Panthers last season and had two passes defended. Carroll loves defensive backs with good traits, so Bartholomew’s 6-foot-1 frame and 4.45 40-yard dash speed could appeal to the coach.
OL Still Biggest Concern for Raiders
Notably, the Raiders don’t appear interested in looking into an offensive lineman. It’s clear through three games that the offensive line is a mess. However, it’s almost impossible to find good offensive linemen in free agency at this point in the season.
The Raiders have who they have and are going to have to roll with it. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden revealed the concern level for the Las Vegas offensive line.
“There’s nothing but red flags surrounding Las Vegas’ offensive line,” McFadden wrote. The Raiders struggled to gain momentum in the pass or run game because they were getting beaten in the trenches. Smith was under duress throughout the afternoon, getting pressured 19 times and sacked five times. Jeanty (3.7 yards per carry) hardly had any open space to exploit. There were multiple times when Jeanty was greeted by Washington defenders as soon as he was given the ball. Going into the season, it was evident that Las Vegas’ offensive success would be dictated by its performance up front. Through three games, the unit has struggled to deliver.”
There is some young talent in the offensive line group, but everybody is playing as poorly as they ever have. That could be due to coaching, but the players do need to be better or the Raiders are in serious trouble.
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