By 9 p.m. Eastern on Friday, the Oakland Raiders had to get down to a 53-man roster by either waiving players or placing them on injured reserve. While they were able to do that, the Raiders were busy Saturday signing free agents and forming their practice squad.
On Friday, the Raiders cut linebacker Kaelin Burnett, kicker Eddy Carmona, wide receiver Derek Carrier, wide receiver Brandon Carswell, defensive end Hall Davis, tight end Kyle Efaw, defensive lineman Dominique Hamilton, offensive lineman Kevin Haslam, offensive lineman Nick Howell, linebacker Chad Kilgore, offensive lineman Dan Knapp, wideout Eddie McGee, center Colin Miller, running back Lonyae Miller, wide receiver Roscoe Parrish, wide receiver Travionte Session, linebacker Nathan Stupar, and safety Curtis Taylor.
They also placed tight end Tory Humphrey, safety Brandon Underwood and rookie punter Marquette King on injured reserve and got down to 53 men after placing linebacker Aaron Curry on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which bars him from practicing until October 16.
One of the most notable names on this list is Parrish, who spent the first seven years of his career in Buffalo where he was a productive slot receiver and punt returner. The Raiders just signed Parrish on Tuesday, but did not see enough from the eighth-year wideout from the University of Miami to keep him on the team.
The other notable name is Stupar, who the Raiders drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 Draft. Stupar was a part of a very physical and dominating defense at Penn State, but could not differentiate himself from the other young linebackers the Raiders possess.
Saturday proved far busier for the Raiders with three more players getting their playbooks taken away to make way for three additions to the roster. They smartly added depth on defense by picking up cornerback Phillip Adams and linebacker Keenan Clayton, both of whom help fill up the depth chart in places the Oakland Raiders lackdepth. The third signing was offensive tackle Willie Smith, a move which seems puzzling considering the depth they have at offensive line.
The three player released to open up space on the roster were cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Bryann McCann as well as the injured defensive tackle Jamie Cumbie.
The Raiders also tried to secure their future by signing four players they cut the previous day to their practice squad. The four players were Burnett, Carswell, Session and Stupar, but two spots still remain on the squad and it will be interesting to see who will occupy those two spots.
With all this turmoil surrounding the roster, there are a pair of players who are clutching their playbooks just a little bit looser. Those would be the two undrafted free agents who successfully made the Raiders as of Sunday afternoon. Lucas Nix will give Oakland some much needed depth as a versatile offensive lineman after being a three-year starter at Pittsburgh, splitting time between right guard and right tackle. Rod Streater has been one of the most surprising players this offseason for the Raiders, using his six-foot, three-inch frame to give quarterback Carson Palmer a big target to throw to.
The Temple product made 18 catches for 165 yards in the first three preseason games combined and did not see any action in the last game Thursday against the Seahawks. He will see the field a lot this season especially with the injuries to Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore.
Buy Oakland Raiders Tickets | Buy Oakland Raiders Apparel
