The Las Vegas Raiders have already had to make some tough decisions, not because they were players that were close to making the roster, they weren't, respectfully, but because they were players looking for a job, and the team essentially just fired them.
It's tough, but it's part of the business, even if the coaches and front office members create relationships with these players, like Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco have.
This is the time of year when we learn about players who take on roles as the underdog, or guys who aren't supposed to make the 53-man roster, and they do, and become fan favorites, because who doesn't love the underdog story?
The Raiders have a few of those, like Woo Governor, who is an undrafted rookie free agent, and has his roster spot locked down based on my predictions, due to his wonderful preseason and training camp performances. He is a player who has quickly become one to which the fan base is attached.
And now, after the last three preseason games, a new fan favorite has emerged.
After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, Amari Gainer, a lethal linebacker out of Florida State, and signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent. This move was likely influenced by his physical attributes (standing at 6'3" and weighing 236 lbs) and his college stats, which showed a reliable presence on defense.
Gainer played spectacularly in the preseason, and even wore the green dot in their last game, which means he called the plays in the huddle for the defense, and, the defense played well at times. Every time you looked up, he was by the ball. He played almost perfectly.
And, that must have earned him a spot, as I placed him on the 53-man roster on my predictions, he may have just made it. He hinted at making the cut in social media, as he posted a picture of him signing autographs in a Raiders uniform with the caption "BLESSED."
Gainer deserves this, and if he did indeed make it, that's just too great of news not to share. You can keep up with all of the Raiders roster cuts here.
