Is Aidan O’Connell on hot seat?Las Vegas Raiders 53-man roster prediction ahead of Houston Texans preseason game

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 13: Aidan O'Connell #12 of the Las Vegas Raiders looks to pass against the Arizona Cardinals in the third quarter of the preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Last week gave us some new information when it comes to predicting the Las Vegas Raiders’ 53-man roster, with the Raiders taking on the Arizona Cardinals for their first preseason game. So, ahead of this week’s preseason bout against the Houston Texans, let’s make some updates to the previous prediction and see who is on the roster bubble.

Quarterback

Previously:

Starter: Kirk Cousins

Backups: Fernando Mendoza (R), Aidan O’Connell

Cut: Jacob Clark (R)

Updated:

Starter: Kirk Cousins

Backups: Fernando Mendoza (R)

Cut: Aidan O’Connell, Jacob Clark (R)

I’m starting to sway toward the Raiders keeping just two quarterbacks. Mendoza looked comfortable enough in Klint Kubiak’s offense to at least begin the year as a backup and ease some concerns about him having to come off the bench if Cousins gets hurt. Also, O’Connell wasn’t exactly sharp against the Cardinals, completing just four out of 13 pass attempts.

To be fair, Pro Football Focus attributed four of the nine incompletions to drops, making his stat line look worse. But if the coaching staff wants to keep another bubble player at a different position, O’Connell could become more expendable if he isn’t lighting it up in the preseason.

Running Back

Previously:

Starter: Ashton Jeanty

Backups: Mike Washington Jr. (R), Connor Heyward (FB), Dylan Laube

Cut: Roman Hemby (R), Dare Ogunbowale

Updated:

Starter: Ashton Jeanty

Backups: Mike Washington Jr. (R), Connor Heyward (FB), Dylan Laube

Cut: Roman Hemby (R), Dare Ogunbowale, Patrick Gurd(R, FB)

The only change here is properly placing Gurd as a fullback after he switched positions from tight end. The third running back spot is very open after Laube had an uninspiring performance against the Cardinals. However, Hemby didn’t get enough opportunities to make a switch, and Ogunbowale didn’t touch the ball last week. Hopefully, those two will get more playing time in Houston to have a better feel for the competition.

Wide Receiver

Previously:

Starters: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Malik Benson (R)

Backups: Jack Bech, Dareke Young, E.J. Williams (R)

Cut: Dont’e Thornton Jr., Chase Roberts (R), Shedrick Jackson, Phillip Dorsett II, Deven Thompkins

Updated:

Starters: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech

Backups: Malik Benson (R), E.J. Williams (R), Shedrick Jackson

Cut: Dont’e Thornton Jr., Chase Roberts (R), Dareke Young, Phillip Dorsett II, Deven Thompkins, Noah Brown, Brandon Johnson

Wide receiver is a tough position to predict, and it doesn’t help that the coaching staff keeps adding wideouts to the mix. Also, Benson, Bech and Tucker were the only receivers to record more than one catch against the Cardinals. Williams and Roberts were two of the three undrafted free agents who Kubiak named as standouts in training camp to boost their odds at earning a roster spot. Meanwhile, Young is considered a special teams ace, but Jackson received more opportunities last week to justify the flip.

Tight Ends

Previously:

Starter: Brock Bowers

Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas

Cut: Carter Runyon, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Myarick

Updated:

Starter: Brock Bowers

Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas

Cut: Carter Runyon, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Myarick

Another position where I don’t see any reason to change last week’s prediction. Runyon is still injured, and Thomas played pretty well with a few nice blocks and a catch against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Okwuegbunam and Myarick didn’t do much.

Offensive Line

Previously:

Starters: Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze

Backups: Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers, Jordan Meredith, Trey Zuhn III (R)

Cut: Dalton Wagner, Will Putnam, Atonio Mafi, Kamar Missouri (R), Justin Pickett (R), Isaiah Jatta (R), Niklas Henning (R)

Updated:

Starters: Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze

Backups: Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers, Atonio Mafi, Trey Zuhn III (R)

Cut: Dalton Wagner, Will Putnam, Jordan Meredith, Kamar Missouri (R), Justin Pickett (R), Isaiah Jatta (R), Niklas Henning (R), Braeden Daniels

Meredith had a pretty rough outing a week ago to at least be put on notice. Meanwhile, Mafi had issues in pass protection but was pretty good in the running game to help his cause. Of course, it’s still very fluid between those two. In this scenario, Zuhn would take on the backup center duties, with Powers-Johnson also having the flexibility to move to the pivot if something were to happen to Linderbaum.

Edge

Previously:

Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce

Backups: Kwity Paye, Keryon Crawford (R), Cian Slone (R)

Cut: Brennan Jackson, Jahfari Harvey, Patrick Johnson

Updated:

Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce

Backups: Kwity Paye, Keryon Crawford (R), Cian Slone (R)

Cut: Jahfari Harvey, Patrick Johnson

On IR: Brennan Jackson

It’s a shame Jackson suffered an injury and was placed on injured reserve, meaning he won’t be eligible to make the Raiders’ roster this year, because he had a solid performance versus the Cardinals. So did Slone and Johnson, to highlight the team’s depth at edge. However, with significant investments in Paye and Crawford this offseason, at least one of those two isn’t making the team.

Defensive Tackle

Previously:

Starters: Thomas Booker IV, Adam Butler

Backups: Tonka Hemingway, Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues, Benito Jones

Cut: Brandon Cleveland (R), Gary Smith II (R), Treven Ma’ae

Updated:

Starters: Tonka Hemingway, Adam Butler

Backups: Thomas Booker IV, Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues, Folorunso Fatukasi

Cut: Brandon Cleveland (R), Gary Smith II (R), Treven Ma’ae

Already Cut: Benito Jones

To be honest, it’s anyone’s guess as to who makes the team at defensive tackle. The Raiders really need a run-stuffer in the trenches, hence the addition of Fatukasi and the prediction that he’ll be on the 53-man roster. It feels like we’re in for a surprise on cutdown day here.

Linebacker

Previously:

Starters: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker

Backups: Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg, Segun Olubi

Cut: Xavian Sorey Jr. (R), Buddy Johnson, Cameron McGrone

Updated:

Starters: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker

Backups: Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg, Segun Olubi

Cut: Xavian Sorey Jr. (R), Buddy Johnson, Cameron McGrone

While Lindenberg had a good game, there wasn’t another reserve linebacker who stood out last Thursday night. So, there’s no need for any changes right now.

Cornerback

Previously:

Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson

Backups: Hezekiah Masses (R), Jermod McCoy (R)

Cut: Decamerion Richardson, Greedy Vance, Chigozie Anusiem, Caleb Offord (R), Devyn Perkins (R)

Updated:

Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson

Backups: Hezekiah Masses (R), Jermod McCoy (R), Greedy Vance

Cut: Decamerion Richardson, Chigozie Anusiem, Caleb Offord (R), Devyn Perkins (R)

Vance had a strong showing a week ago to potentially change the math at cornerback. Also, Richardson has reportedly been solid in camp, but it’s hard to elevate him after not getting a chance to see him play against the Cardinals. That adds extra significance to this week’s game for Richardson.

Safety

Previously:

Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao

Backups: Treydan Stukes (R), Dalton Johnson (R)

Cut: Tristin McCollum, Devin Lafayette (R)

Updated:

Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao

Backups: Treydan Stukes (R), Dalton Johnson (R)

Cut: Tristin McCollum, Devin Lafayette (R)

It feels like the safety room is pretty set in stone, unless the coaching staff has a set number of defensive backs they want to roster and opt to keep an extra corner instead. In that case, Pola-Mao and Johnson feel like the most-likely cut candidates. However, Pola-Mao got the starter treatment last week by playing in just the opening series, and Johnson had a good outing. In other words, the secondary is pretty murky right now.

Specialists

Previously:

Punter: AJ Cole III

Kicker: Matt Gay

Long snapper: Tyler Duzansky (R)

Cut: Kansei Matsuzawa (R), Alex Ward

Updated:

Punter: AJ Cole III

Kicker: Matt Gay

Long snapper: Alex Ward

Cut: Kansei Matsuzawa (R), Tyler Duzansky (R)

With Matsuzawa’s struggles, it feels like Gay won the kicker job last week. That’s kind of expected since the ‘Tokoyo Toe’ is IPP eligible and can have a “redshirt year” on the practice squad if he doesn’t get claimed off waivers. The only change among the specialists is at long snapper, and that’s simply a result of Ward being higher on the team’s unofficial depth chart.