Raiders Predicted to Cut Ties With Nephew of Team Legend & Young RB

The Las Vegas Raiders still have a few weeks before they have to cut their roster down to 53 players, but they will likely start thinking about who will and won’t be on the roster soon. One player who could make things difficult for the Raiders is Shedrick Jackson.

Fans might be familiar with the young wide receiver, as he’s the great nephew of legendary Raiders running back Bo Jackson. He also had four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in the team’s first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.

However, it’s still going to be difficult for him to make the roster. In Tashan Reed’s latest 53-man roster prediction for The Athletic, he projected that the Raiders will cut Jackson before the season.

This is his third season in the NFL. He was an undrafted free agent signing of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 and played five games as a rookie. The problem facing Jackson is that the Raiders have a lot of young wide receivers whom the team used draft picks on.

That said, if Jackson keeps lighting up the preseason, Las Vegas might make room for him. At the very least, he’ll be a strong candidate for the practice squad.

Dylan Laube Also a Cut Candidate

Last offseason, running back Dylan Laube started to gain some hype. Fans thought he could have the potential to be a good receiver out of the backfield.

He got one carry that he fumbled, and the Raiders never went back to him throughout the season. Ashton Jeanty is the future at running back for the team, and Pete Carroll has spoken highly of Zamir White.

Laube will be battling to earn the third running back spot, but Reed projects that he’ll end up being cut.

“White struggled as the lead back last year, but he dropped weight this offseason and looks more explosive,” Reed wrote. “He’s right there in the mix with Mostert and McCormick for the No. 2 role.

Similar to Jackson, Laube would be a prime candidate to be signed to the practice squad if he doesn’t make the initial 53-man roster.

Raiders Offense Had Issues in First Preseason Game

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the Raiders’ offense this offseason, but they couldn’t live up to it in the first preseason game. Most of the starters only played one drive, and they weren’t able to score.

When the backups came in, they also didn’t have much success. Geno Smith didn’t get much of a chance to get into rhythm, but he’d still like to see some improvement.

“I thought we started out really slow,” Smith said. “That’s kind of to be expected for a first preseason game. A lot of different rotations, a lot of different players in there. Guys gotta get used to tackling, getting hit, all the things that preseason brings.”

Aidan O’Connell threw two ugly interceptions, and he knows he needs to be better.

“It’s frustrating because I thought I’ve been having a good camp and I was disappointed in how I played tonight,” O’Connell said. “Obviously, can’t turn the ball over and just have to stay ahead of the sticks to help the team out.”