Early Projections for the Oakland Raiders' Final 53-Man Roster

There is still a fair amount of tweaking Reggie McKenzie will do to the roster, but the core is set and it's not outside the realm of possibility that every member of the 53-man roster is currently listed on Raiders.com. 

There are always a few surprises on the final roster, but 2012 may be uniquely surprising due to the "new era" under the direction of McKenzie and Dennis Allen.

Predictions this early will be horribly wrong by the time cut-down day arrives in September, but it's worthwhile to take stock of the team.

Offseason workouts and training camp will be what Allen and McKenzie use to arrive at the best possible final roster, and most of those activities have yet to take place.

The depth at running back will be a focus of many, but far more important will be how the Raiders fill out the defense. 

Quarterback (3)

Starter: Carson Palmer

Backups: Matt Leinart, Terrelle Pryor

Camp arm: Rhett Bomar

No quarterback who will make the roster in 2012 was on the active roster at this time last year, but it's a massively improved group from last season.

There isn't much room for a surprise at the quarterback position. Bomar's chances of making the roster slipped significantly when Matt Leinart was signed, but he could find himself on the practice squad. 

Leinart and Pryor will battle for the backup quarterback position, and Leinart will likely win that job—but Pryor will win more of the week-to-week snaps.

Running Backs (5)

Running backs

Starter: Darren McFadden

Backups: Mike Goodson, Taiwan Jones

Cuts: Rashawn Jackson, Lonyae Miller

Fullbacks

Starter: Marcel Reece

Backup: Manase Tonga

Mike Goodson was brought in to back up McFadden, and Taiwan Jones is too versatile and dangerous to give up on this quickly. As long as Goodson doesn't have significant issues with ball security, he'll be the primary backup.

A surprise fourth running back is the most likely twist.

Reece is a lock to make the roster, but the lead-blocking fullback has heavy responsibilities in the running game, and keeping Tonga on the roster for another year makes sense.

Receivers (6)

Starters: Darrius Heyward Bey, Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore

Backups: Louis Murphy, Juron Criner

On the bubble: Eddie McGee, Rod Streater, Thomas Mayo, Brandon Carswell

One of McGee, Streater, Mayo or Carswell will earn the final roster spot, but which one is anyone's guess at this point. McGee seems like he would have the best chance, having worked out with Carson Palmer in Southern California this offseason. 

Will Moore, Heyward-Bey or Ford develop into a No. 1 option for Carson Palmer? No one knows for sure. It's a young, talented group with speed and size, and an offseason with Palmer will do the passing game a lot of good. 

Tight Ends (3)

Starter: Brandon Myers

On the bubble: David Ausberry, Andre Hardy, Richard Gordon, Derek Carrier

Perhaps one of the most difficult of the positions to predict on the roster. Two of the four players on the bubble can make the roster, but who are the odd men out?

It makes the most sense to cut one of the two pass-catching tight ends, but when it comes to the air attack, the pass-catching tight ends can also compete with the receivers.

McGee, Mayo and Streater could find themselves without a job due to the rise of Ausberry, Hardy and Carrier. 

Offensive Line (8)

Offensive Tackles (3)

Starters: Jared Veldheer, Khalif Barnes

Backup: Joseph Barksdale 

Offensive Guards (3)

Starters: Tony Bergstrom, Mike Brisiel

Backup: Cooper Carlisle

Center (1) 

Starter: Stefen Wisniewski

On The Bubble (1)

Ed Wang, Lucas Nix, Alex Parsons, Zach Hurd, Dan Knapp

The Raiders have a lot of options on the offensive line. Veterans Barnes and Carlisle are not locks to make the roster if a younger player can do the same job for less money. Barnes is due to make $2 million, over half of which is a bonus, and Carlisle about $1 million.

Nix or Parsons might be a wise choice as the last linemen to make the cut because of their ability to play center. However, both will be practice-squad eligible in 2012.

Ed Wang was recently signed, and he has experience in the zone-blocking system and would be a good backup candidate at tackle if Barnes isn't retained. 

Defensive Tackles (4)

Starters: Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly

Backups: Desmond Bryant, Christo Bilukidi

Cuts: Jamie Cumbie, Travis Ivey, Dominique Hamilton, Ralph Guidry

The Raiders didn't add the type of player that was expected through the draft. There is no big man in the middle who would have the primary focus of stopping the run. 

Dennis Allen thinks Tommy Kelly can play nose tackle in the 3-4, and perhaps he thinks stopping the run up the middle will not be as hard as it has been for the Raiders.

Hamilton, Guidry, Cumbie and Ivey weren't expected to make the roster, and a few of them might be considered for the practice squad. 

Bilukidi makes the roster because there is a lack of quality options.

Defensive Ends (4)

Starters: Lamarr Houston, Matt Shaughnessey

Backup: Dave Tollefson, Jack Crawford

Cuts: Mason Brodine, Hall Davis

No surprises at defensive end. The starters are the starters and Tollefson will be the primary backup.

Jack Crawford should see some action as a rookie.

Linebackers (7)

Starters: Aaron Curry, Rolando McClain, Philip Wheeler

Backups: Miles Burris, Travis Goethel, Nathan Stupar, Kaelin Burnett

Cuts: Carl Inenacho, Mario Kurn

The Secondary (10)

Safety (5)

Starters: Tyvon Branch, Michael Huff

Backups: Brandon Underwood, Aaron Henry, Michael Mitchell

Cornerbacks (5)

Starters: Ron Bartell, Shawntae Spencer

Backups: Chimdi Chekwa, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Pat Lee

Cuts: Matt Giordano, Terrail Lambert, Bryan McCann, Curtis Taylor, Chaz Powell, Conroy Black, Corey Gatewood.

The starters are locked down at this point, but the backup jobs are wide open. I like Aaron Henry to beat out Matt Giordano for a spot, because Henry will be better on special teams. 

One or two of the three undrafted cornerbacks will be added to the practice squad. Pat Lee makes the roster for his special teams and leadership. 

Specialists (3)

Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski

Punter: Shane Lechler

Long Snapper: Jon Condo

Cut: Marquette King

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Raiders can worry about Lechler's pending free agency at a later date.