The Raiders have filled their practice squad as of tonight, the team announced.  The squad as is currently arranged is mostly old faces but a couple of new ones have been added, too.  The practice squad is used as a place to keep young players to help them develop and is also used as a scout team to mimic opponents styles so that the roster can practice and learn how to play against different techniques.


The 2012 practice squad is currently:

LB Kaelin Burnett

LB Nathan Stupar

WR Travionte Sessions

WR Brandon Carswell

CB Chimdi Chekwa

RB Jeremy Stewart

C Collin Miller

DT Vaughn Meatago


All of the players were in camp with the Raiders except Stewart and Meatago.

Stewart is a 6'1" 219 lb RB from Stanford.  He was signed with the Jets but was waived in the recent round of cuts.

Meatago is a smaller DT from Hawaii.  He is 6'1" 298 which means he would need to play the 3 technique instead of being a space-eating NT.  He could also play DE especially in a 3-4 scheme where the team will want the ends to be a little larger.

The practice squad is by no means set and I'd guess that one of the LBs and one of the WRs will eventually be replaced as it's unusual to have 2 of any position on the squad.

For more Raiders news and analysis, follow me on Twitter @AsherMathews                        

The Raiders announced their cuts tonight, moving the squad from 75 to 53 players per league guidelines.  The players waived or put onto IR were:

Waived LB Kaelin Burnett (R)
Waived K Eddy Carmona (R)
Waived WR Derek Carrier (R)
Waived WR Brandon Carswell (R)
Reserve/PUP (knees) LB Aaron Curry (4)
Waived DE Hall Davis (1)
Waived TE Kyle Efaw (R)
Waived DL Dominique Hamilton (R)
Waived OL Kevin Haslam (3)
Reserve/Injured (hamstring) TE Tory Humphrey (5)
Waived OL Nick Howell (1)
Waived LB Chad Kilgore (R)
Reserve/Injured (toe) P Marquette King (R)
Waived OL Dan Knapp (R)
Waived WR Eddie McGee (1)
Waived C Colin Miller (1)
Waived RB Lonyae Miller (1)
Terminated WR Roscoe Parrish (8)
Waived WR Travionte Session (R)
Waived LB Nathan Stupar (R)
Waived S Curtis Taylor (3)
Reserve/Injured (hip/groin) S Brandon Underwood (3)

With those cuts, the teams 53 players, as of now, are:

Offense
9 OL: Jared Veldheer, Cooper Carlisle, Stefen Wisniewski, Mike Brisiel, Khalif Barnes, Tony Bergstrom, Joseph Barksdale, Lucas Nix, Alex Parsons
3 QB: Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Terrelle Pryor
3 RB: Darren McFadden, Taiwan Jones, Mike Goodson
2 FB: Marcel Reece, Owen Scmitt
5 WR: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Juron Criner, Rod Streater
3 TE: Brandon Myers, Richard Gordon, Ausberry

Defense
5 DT: Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, Christo Bilukidi, Desmond Bryant, Jamie Cumbie
4 DE: Lamarr Houston, Matt Shaughnessy, David Tollefson, Jack Crawford
5 LB: Phillip Wheeler, Rolando McClain, Miles Burris, Travis Goethel, Carl Ihenacho,
7 CB: Ron Bartell, Shawntae Spencer, Pat Lee, DVD, Chimdi Chekwa, Bryan McCann, Coye Francies
4 S: Tyvon Branch, Michael Huff, Matt Giordano, Mike Mitchell

Special Teams
K: Sebastian Janikowski
P: Shane Lechler
LS: Jon Condo

Total: 53

The roster is far from complete, however.  Specifically, the team only having 5 LBs will be addressed.  The team is currently carring 7 CBs so at least one and quite probably two DBs will eventually get waived.  The OL is carrying 9 players right now which may be too many.  If Stefen Wisniewski comes back from a calf injury this week, Lucas Nix seems a likely candidate to be cut.  The team also would be interested in getting a sixth wide receiver if one becomes available that GM McKenzie likes.

The final game of the 2012 preseason is in the books for the Raiders, a sloppy, ugly loss to the Seattle Seahawks in which the Raiders gained a total of only 101 yards in the game.

So what does the loss mean for the 2012 season?  Fortunately, not much.  This game was never about winning but about seeing who would step up and make a last push for the game.

The Raiders depth was put to the test and was found wanting but the starters never really played in the game and therefore this game does not indicate how the team will do in the regular season.

S & B (Standouts & Breakdowns):

Standouts:
-Nathan Stupar - the rookie is very much a bubble player but he helped his cause with 11 tackles (6 solo) and 1 sack.  He looked very active playing 3rd team MLB.  He seems likely to be, at worst, a practice squad player and may have earned a spot onto the team with high motor play.

-Dominique Hamilton - his stat line doesn't tell the story as Hamilton only had two tackles in the game.  He showed good push and was able to collapse his side of the pocket several times to blow up run or pass plays.  He generated the push & collapsed the pocket on Stupar's sack.

-Christo Bilukidi - the raw but talented Bilukidi played most of the game, starting at DT because both Seymour and Kelly did not play and continuing to get reps.  He showed good presence in many of the plays and continues to flash the skills that Reggie McKenzie saw when he drafted the relatively unknown Bilukidi.

-Bryan McCann - the returner stood out by keeping a hold onto the ball (see below) and also provided a very solid punt return late in the game that set up the Raiders only score.  A bubble player before last night, he may have played his way into a final roster spot.


Breakdowns:
-Joseph Barksdale & Tony Bergstrom - the second & third team offensive lines were completly dominated in almost every snap by the Seahawks defensive line backups.  Both Barksdale and Bergstrom are expected to make the final roster but neither had a good night.

-Roscoe Parrish & Coye Francies - the two returners were signed after both being cut earlier in the week.  Both have a history of solid returns with Parrish especially being known for it.  Both struggled mightily when given their chances, however.  Parrish fumbled two punts, losing one.  Francies added a fumble of his own.  Neither looks likely to make the squad at this point.

Updated: Parrish has, indeed, been signed and is at the Raiders practice today.  He is wearing #18 as of now.  OL Zach Hurd has been designated as waived/injured to make room for him on the roster.

Per a profootballtalk.com article the Raiders have agreed to terms with recently released free agent returner/wide receiver Roscoe Parrish.

Parrish, 30, has been with the Bills his entire career, 7 years.  He joined the Chargers this off-season as a free agent but was cut when the team moved from 90 players down to 75.

Parrish is most known as a punt returner - an area in which the Raiders have struggled in recent years and through the 2012 preseason.  He has returned 135 punts in his career and has averaged 12 touchdowns per return as well as returning 3 of them for TDs.

He is less accomplished as a kickoff returner although he still has experience, there, having returned 29 kickoffs in his career and averaging 23.6 yards per return.  He has never returned a kickoff return for a TD.

The Raiders have struggled in both areas no matter who was returning the ball and it seems likely that if Parrish is healthy that he'll be able to make the team as a backup receiver and primary return man.

If he makes the final squad Parrish would be in line to be the team's 6th receiver.  In his career he has 134 receptions and has amassed 1,502 yards and 7 TDs.

The Raiders have not confirmed nor denied the move.  If reports of the signing are accurate, the Raiders will have had to drop a player to add Parrish as they were at the maximum roster size of 75 as of yesterday.  It is not known who was dropped to make room.

The Raiders announced they have waived 12 players to get down to the maximum roster size of 75 in advance of today's deadline.  The players cut were:

WR Thomas Mayo
WR DeAundre Muhammad
QB Kyle Newhall-Caballero
FB Manase Tonga
DE Mason Brodine
DE Wayne Dorsey
LB Korey Bosworth
S Aaron Henry
S Chaz Powell
CB Terrail Lambert

In addition, two players were designated as waived/injured, FB Rashawn Jackson and offensive lineman Ed Wang.

The team had had less than their maximum allowed 90 players prior to the cuts which is why they only had to take action on 12 players to get to the 75 player maximum.

Now that camp is over and the Raiders have played three-fourths of their preseason games it's time to look at who will make the final roster for the team.  Projecting the final roster is always tricky and there are never enough spots for every player that you think can succeed.  For my projections I tried to look at who I think has shown their skills as well as what positions need the most depth, etc.  There are always surprises in the final roster but here is who I think has the best shot:

OL: 8

- Jared Veldheer, Cooper Carlisle, Stephon Wisniewski, Mike Brisiel, Khalif Barnes, Joseph Barksdale, Tony Bergstrom & Alex Parsons

Why these players?: Veldheer and Wizniewski are both up and comers and possible Pro Bowlers as soon as this season. Mike Brisiel was the Raiders top priority in free agence and signed a 5 year deal. Obviously, these 3 are locks to make the roster.

Khalif Barnes and Cooper Carlisle were both resigned to 1 year contracts. They have both run with the 1st team offense starting in OTAs, running through minicamp & training camp without any real open competition – Carlisle at LG and Barnes at RT.

Joseph Barksdale and Tony Bergstrom are in their 2nd and 1st years, respectively. Both have zone blocking experience and both are cheap. They've also both shown promise. They are extremely likely to make the team as backups.

I'm guessing only 8 OL players although the team could take 9 for the final squad. I have Alex Parsons in because he's versatile enough to play guard or center. He's been running with the first team this offseason at Center in place of injured Stephon Wisniewski.

If the Raiders take a ninth offensive lineman, I'd expect a tackle to be retained. At this time, only Barksdale seems likely to make the roster and be able to play at LT. Rookie Bergstrom played RT in college and could potentially sub in, there, if needed but all his work has been at guard - both sides - in camp.

In the third week of the 2012 preseason, the Raiders won to over the Detroit Lions 31-20.

The third preseason game is generally considered to be the most important because the starters play for the longest period of time and the coaching staff actually puts in a game plan to prepare.

The defense - and especially the run defense - looked extremely solid. The 1st team run defense allowed less than 10 yards to Detroit's running backs.

For the offense, the Raiders showed good running power most of the game. Starting RB Darren McFadden ran hard and ended with 9 carries for 27 yards and a TD and added 2 catches for 11 yards. McFadden has long been considered one of the best RBs in the league as long as he remains healthy. He has yet to play an entire season, however.

In relief of McFadden, the Raiders turned to second year speedster Taiwan Branch, playing for the first time this preseason after suffering a hamstring pull earlier in camp. Jones showed his breathtaking speed, with multiple runs for more than 10 yards. Jones ended with an average of 5 yards/carry after running for 50 yards on 10 carries. It's likely he earned the number 2 RB spot with his performance tonight.

Mike Goodson, playing with the 3rd string offense, looked good at points, too, but not enough to have him back in the conversation to be the primary backup. He still is likely to be on the final roster as the third string running back.