The Las Vegas Raiders kick off their 2025 NFL Preseasons schedule with a bang on Thursday as new head coach Pete Carroll will return to face his former team, the Seattle Seahawks. But that's just one of the storylines abound for the Silver and Black, not the least of which is the preseason grind of players trying to claw out their spot on the roster. That grind, however, can have the adverse effect with Raiders players ultimately playing their way off of the final 53-man roster and being sent packing.
Yes, Raiders fans should be excited to see rookie Ashton Jeanty make his debut or to get the first glimpse at Geno Smith in game action. At the same time, though, the bulk of the preseason is about filling out the roster depth. It's later-round rookies trying to earn a roster spot or move up the depth chart, it's veterans fighting for another opportunity in the NFL, and so on.
That makes the margins of the preseason thin, however. And for the Raiders in particular, that's an even more fascinating case. Carroll and a new front office regime have given the Las Vegas roster a facelift already and there are several players who are now walking a tightrope because of that. These four players, though, need to show out in the Raiders preseason or they could be looking for a job sooner rather than later.
4. WR Collin Johnson
Collin Johnson might as well be representative of all of the veteran receivers that the Raiders brought in via free agency this offseason, including Seth Williams and Phillip Dorsett as well. But Las Vegas invested heavily in the wide receiver spot in the draft, selecting Jack Bech in the second round, Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the fourth round, and converted quarterback Tommy Mellott in the sixth.
With the group of rookie newcomers joining Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker in the receiving corps, Johnson's roster spot could already be in question as the Raiders conceivably could still keep only five wideouts on the roster, especially with the depth at tight end and running back. However, if the veteran wants to have any chance of seeing the 53-man squad, the preseason is crucial.
Johnson spent the last two seasons with the Bears, but appeared in only 12 games with just three targets and two receptions. He flashed a bit more early in his career with the Jaguars but has largely struggled to separate himself as any kind of difference-maker. If he fails to do that in the Raiders preseason, especially in a competition with other similar veterans for a sixth receiver spot that might not even exist, he's operating with the thinnest margin for error.
3. LB Jaylon Smith
We've already somewhat seen this movie with Jaylon Smith and the Raiders. Vegas added him to the active roster in the second half of the 2023 season where the former second-round pick for the Cowboys played in one game, recorded two tackles, and was then ruled inactive for the final two games he was on the roster. He hasn't played a regular-season game since.
Upon the arrival of Carroll and new GM Jon Spytek, the Raiders seemingly made it a point of emphasis to overhaul the linebacker group. Germaine Pratt, Elandon Roberts and Devin White, along with bringing back Smith, to join 2024 fifth-round pick Tommy Eichenberg.
To put it simply, it's been roughly three years since we've seen the 31-year-old Smith be a meaningful contributor in the NFL, and he was already showing clear signs of decline at that point. The Raiders likely won't prioritize keeping multiple linebackers, which could already push Smith out.
However, even if that's not the case, if he comes out and struggles in preseason action, the decision to push Smith out in favor of another option should be an easy one in Las Vegas.
2. QB Aidan O'Connell
This might be a controversial take, but I truly believe that Aidan O'Connell could be playing on a bit of a hotter seat than some Raiders fans might expect in the preseason.
Make no mistake, O'Connell entered training camp as the No. 2 quarterback behind Geno Smith in training camp as sixth-round rookie Cam Miller still has plenty to prove as he transitions from North Dakota State to the NFL. Moreover, Smith will likely see plenty of meaningful reps as he adjusts to in-game action with new Raiders teammates and a new OC in Chip Kelly. But O'Connell should get the second-team reps.
At the same time, the results have never been all that impressive from O'Connell when he's been given opportunities. Furthermore, Carroll and this regime have no ties to the former fourth-round pick. They do, however, have ties to Miller and ties to potential backup cut candidates throughout the lead.
Subsequently, if O'Connell shows any semblance of trouble adjusting to Kelly's offense or if he simply hasn't made any progress and Miller flashes, it could be bad news for the Purdue product. He'll catch on somewhere else, but there's definitely a world where he's on borrowed time with the Raiders.
1. SS Jamal Adams
You probably saw this one coming from a mile away, if we're being honest. Carroll and the Raiders were a bit of a punchline for a few hours when they signed veteran safety Jamal Adams this offseason. Now, he'll get the chance to earn a spot either as a safety or perhaps experimentally as a linebacker. Unfortunately, it should be an opportunity given on thin ice.
To put a fine point on it, Adams has struggled to stay healthy and has been quite suspect when he's been on the field over the past three seasons. He's totaled a meager 15 games over the past three years, and the past two in particular have been ugly with almost no ability in coverage and a severe drop-off in his tackling as well.
Adams is only 29 years old (he turns 30 in October), but he's another player whose best days in the NFL are now well behind him. And if the veteran former first-round pick takes the field in the preseason and continues to look washed, even his ties to Carroll might not be enough to save his job in Las Vegas.