Getty Rasul Douglas watching Trevon Moehrig.
With the second preseason game now in the past for the Las Vegas Raiders, the team’s roster is starting to take shape. They should have a good idea already as to which players will and won’t make the team. One position group that has looked strong in the preseason is the secondary.
Young players like Nate Hobbs have been looking good, which should force out some veterans. In fact, the Raiders have already decided to move on from one veteran cornerback. The team announced on Monday that they’ve released Rasul Douglas.
We have re-signed free agent T Devery Hamilton.
In additional transactions, we have released CB Rasul Douglas and G Parker Ehinger and waived P Corliss Waitman » t.co/w5lKGxuyZD
In addition, the team released offensive guard Parker Ehinger and waived punter Corliss Waitman while re-signing rookie offensive tackle Devery Hamilton. The decision to cut Douglas bodes well for the young cornerbacks on the roster. He was a solid veteran who started 11 games for the Carolina Panthers last season. He had a chance to be the Raiders’ slot cornerback but Hobbs’ performance this offseason pretty much killed those dreams. The fact that the team can move on from a veteran like Douglas with weeks left before the season is a good sign that their depth is much better.
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Hamilton Is an Intriguing Player to Bring Back
It’s interesting that the Raiders decided to re-sign Hamilton. The undrafted rookie out of Duke is massive at 6-foot-9 and 310 pounds. He’s certainly a project but his size makes him very intriguing.
He virtually has no chance of making the regular-season roster. The Raiders have plenty of offensive tackles ahead of him on the depth chart. However, he’s the perfect type of player to put on the practice squad during the season. He can learn a lot this season behind some talented veterans and young players. The Raiders hopefully have their tackles of the future in Kolton Miller and Alex Leatherwood, but it never hurts to have more depth.
Plenty to Be Excited About for Raiders
A lot of people are counting the Raiders out already but they could be a surprise team in 2021. There’s a lot to be excited about the team. There are some young players who are already standing out and the team is luckily staying pretty healthy outside of a couple of small scares.
The Raiders are still a year or two away from realistically competing for the AFC West title with the Kansas City Chiefs but they are on the right path. The biggest criticisms with Las Vegas heading into the season have been surrounding their defense as a whole and their offensive line. The defense is already looking a lot better with Gus Bradley at the helm. He has a long track record of success and should lead an improved group. The offensive line isn’t nearly as bad as many would have you believe. Yes, they lost Trent Brown, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson, but those three were getting older and more injury-prone. The offensive line may not be elite quite yet but it should be a solid unit. If the defense improves and the offensive line holds up, the Raiders could improve on their eight wins from last season.
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