The Las Vegas Raiders move forward with their initial 53-man roster after waiving 32 players over the last 48 hours.

The Silver and Black will now turn their attention to carving out their practice squad and preparing for their Week 1 opener against the New England Patriots.

Hours removed from the release of the 53-man roster, here are a few observations on the team as it stands.

The quarterback room

Aidan O'Connell remains on the 53-man roster despite suffering a wrist injury.

The Raiders traded a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Kenny Pickett to fill in as backup as O'Connell recovers. Despite O'Connell's injury, he makes the initial 53-man roster as the team's third quarterback with sixth-round pick Cam Miller being waived.

This could be an interesting development as to if O'Connell will eventually be moved to the injured reserve list or if his recovery time is shorter than initially expected.

The special teams effect

Both Pete Carroll and Tom McMahon stated that special teams would play a factor in who would make the 53-man roster, and Dylan Laube is the greatest example of that notion.

The second-year player is one of four running backs to make the initial 53-man roster, however he carved a niche on special teams that could help him see the field a lot. In training camp, he returned kick and punt returns and in the preseason, he led the team in special teams tackles (three), kickoff return yardage (83) and punt return yardage (31).

A promising draft class

Nine of the 11 draft picks from the Raiders' latest class made the initial 53-man roster.

What's even more impressive is of those nine, several could find themselves in prominent roles. First-round pick Ashton Jeanty and fourth-round receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. started all three preseason games for the Raiders. Cornerback Darien Porter also saw a substantial amount of reps with the first-team as he competes for a starting role.

Seventh-round pick Cody Lindenberg was able to earn a roster spot with an impressive preseason as well. He led the team in total tackles (13) along with two tackles for loss and a sack. Fourth-round pick Tonka Hemingway led the team in quarterback hits (three) in the preseason and is also believed to have a role secured in the interior defensive line rotation throughout the season.

The quiet surprise of the initial 53

While no rookie UDFAs made the initial 53-man roster, 2024 UDFA Will Putnam makes the team after spending the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad.

The decision is a chain effect of Jordan Meredith switching from guard to center. With all signs pointing to Meredith starting and Jackson Powers-Johnson being placed at right guard, it opened up the need for a backup center.

Putnam played 60 games in five seasons at Clemson and was a two-time All-ACC selection. Ironically, he switched from guard from center his junior season – leading him to this path with the Las Vegas Raiders.