Raiders roster 2022: Luke Masterson made it despite odds

There are always surprises that emerge in training camp each year and Luke Masterson was one of them in 2022 for the Las Vegas Raiders.

A college safety, the Raiders liked the Wake Forest product as a linebacker prospect. They knew he was a developmental player, but he kept impressing as training camp and as each preseason game passed. He flashed basically every week and in the end, Masterson found himself on the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster.

He capped his push for a roster spot by intercepting New England starting quarterback Mac Jones in the preseason finale last Friday night.

Masterson was one of four undrafted free agents to be on the Raiders’ initial 53, which finalized Tuesday. He joins fellow linebacker Darien Butler, cornerback Sam Webb and safety Isaiah Pola-Mao.

Masterson recently said he tried to keep his focus during his unlikely push for the roster and didn’t look too far ahead.

“I just took it day by day, let the cards fall how they do. I’m really proud of the guys for going out and fighting hard today, we all had a ton of fun out there together,” Masterson said. “Throughout this whole camp, I think we’ve just gotten better every day, really taking pride in getting each other, keeping each other up and taking it day by day. I’m proud of those guys, for sure ... You want to make plays, but I think you approach every game the same way – trying to do your job to help your team win. I think we all approached this game the same way.”

Now that he has made the regular-season roster, Masterson, who will be a backup on defense and special teamer, will try to be part of the active roster on game day. But he will keep his simple approach that worked in training camp.

“I think every day, if you just try and get better, it starts to slow down a little bit,” Masterson said. “But I’m still just trying to take it day by day. I have a ton of stuff to fix, and I have a long way to go.”