Meet the practice squad

With 53-man rosters set across the NFL after cutdown day, the Las Vegas Raiders have been busy making additions to their practice squad. Here you can find all 17 practice squad players and get to know a little bit about their backgrounds.

McClendon Curtis, G

Experience: Rookie

Draft: Undrafted

College: UT Chattanooga

After the draft, the Raiders signed McClendon Curtis to one of the top UDFA deals with $210,000 guaranteed, per The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson. Curtis won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for the SoCon conference during his last year at Chattanooga. In the preseason, he got a handful of reps at right guard in the Raiders' first two games and then took some snaps at right tackle in the last one. That versatility makes him an intriguing project, especially since he played some left tackle in college.

Matthew Butler, DT

Experience: 2nd year

Draft: 2022 5th round

College: Tennessee

Matthew Butler made the team last year but only played in six games with just 56 defensive snaps as a backup defensive tackle. He had 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss during his last three years in college and is a good athlete with a 7.26 Relative Athletic Score (RAS). That helps make him a decent project as an interior pass-rusher.

Vitaliy Gurman, G

Experience: 2nd year

Draft: Undrafted

College: Toledo

This will be Vitaliy Gurman’s second year on the Raiders’ practice squad after he was signed as an UDFA by the Kansas City Chiefs last year but did not make the Chiefs’ roster. Similar to Curtis, Gurman played in the preseason for Las Vegas but only saw 33 snaps. He originally was a Division II product before transferring to Toledo, where he started on the Rockets’ offensive line for two seasons.

Janarius Robinson, DE

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Experience: 3rd year

Draft: 2021 4th round

College: Florida State

At 6’5” and 258 pounds with a 9.32 RAS, Janarius Robinson has plenty of tools to work with and develop, and he was disruptive at FSU with 20.5 career TFL in 34 career games. However, injuries have disrupted his growth in the NFL as he’s been placed on injured reserve twice in as many years.

Sam Webb, CB

Experience: 2nd year

Draft: Undrafted

College: Missouri Western State

Sam Webb made Las Vegas’ 53-man roster at the end of camp last year, but the team added more depth to the cornerback room in the offseason which squeezed him out this time around. Webb ended up playing in nine games defensively in 2022—and in all 17 on special teams—and finished the year with 36 total tackles to go along with three passes defended. He has a lot of traits with a 9.31 RAS and will likely be the first call-up if one of the Raiders’ corners goes down.

Cole Fotheringham, TE

Experience: 2nd year

Draft: Undrafted

College: Utah

Another practice squad holdover from last season, Cole Fotheringham was a quality blocking tight end in college with a 76.5 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus during his senior year. He made some noise as a pass-catcher against the San Francisco 49ers with five catches for 71 yards but didn't draw a target beyond that outing. If he can put it all together, Fotheringham could push for that third tight end spot at some point during the season.

David Agoha, DE

Experience: Rookie

Draft: N/A

College: International Player Pathway program

Since David Agoha is part of the NFL’s IPP program, he doesn’t count toward the practice squad limit which gives the Raiders an extra player. A former professional basketball player in Nigeria who stands at 6’5” and 245 pounds, Agoha is certainly an intriguing athlete, he just needs more experience playing football. The preseason was the first time he had ever competed in a live football game and he managed to get a sack against the Los Angeles Rams.

Kana’i Mauga, LB

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Experience: 2nd year

Draft: Undrafted

College: USC

Last year, Kana’i Mauga spent the preseason with the Denver Broncos and began the regular season on Denver’s practice squad before getting released at the beginning of November. Las Vegas picked him up about a month later and he proved to be a solid run defender this August with a 72.6 PFF run defense grade.

Antonie Wesley, WR

Experience: 5th year

Draft: Undrafted

College: Texas Tech

While Antonie Wesley went to high school in Texas, he returns home in a sense as he was born in Las Vegas. Wesley began his NFL career on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad before a shoulder injury ended his two-year tenure in Baltimore. But he ended up making the Arizona Cardinals active roster in 2021 and had 19 catches for 208 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit him again the following season as a quadriceps tear put him on injured reserve.

Tyler Hall, CB

Experience: 3rd year

Draft: Undrafted

College: Wyoming

By now, you’ve probably heard of Tyler Hall as he was a late-season addition to the Raiders roster a year ago and made several impact plays to make a strong case to stay in factor into the rotation at defensive back in 2023. Obviously, that didn’t come to fruition during training camp, but Hall took snaps at safety during the preseason which could increase his odds to get called up.

John Samuel Shenker, TE

Experience: Rookie

Draft: Undrafted

College: Auburn

John Samuel Shenker left Auburn as the school’s record-holder for career catches (68) among tight ends and second in career receiving yards with 779. However, his biggest competitive advantages are his blocking skills and that he primarily took snaps as a fullback in the preseason. Shenker would likely take over if something were to happen to Jakob Johnson during the regular season.

Sincere McCormick, RB

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Experience: 2nd year

Draft: Undrafted

College: UTSA

A former third-team All-American, Sincere McCormick was electric in college. He posted back-to-back 1,400-yard campaigns as a Roadrunner, had 35 touchdowns in three seasons and averaged 5.4 yards per rush during his career. Las Vegas’ crowded backfield limited his playing time last month, but McCormick finished with an impressive outing against the Cowboys with 5.4 yards per carry and two forced missed tackles on five attempts.

Isaac Rochell, DE

Experience: 6th year

Draft: 2017 7th round

College: Notre Dame

Isaac Rochell is arguably the most-acomplished player on the Raiders’ practice squad. The veteran made nine starts in four years with the Chargers and has 103 total tackles with 9.5 career sacks. He looked strong in the Silver and Black’s first preseason game with a couple of pressures, a sack and three defensive stops, but an injury kept him sidelined for the rest of the month.

Netane Muti, G

Experience: 4th year

Draft: 2020 6th round

College: Fresno State

Back in 2020 at the NFL combine, Netane Muti dropped jaws by hitting 44 reps on the bench press which was the most out of all the event’s participants. He ended up getting drafted by Denver and bounced around between their practice squad and active roster before Las Vegas picked him up late in 2022. Muti is a good run blocker but needs work in pass protection to climb up the ladder.

Jaydon Grant, S

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Experience: Rookie

Draft: Undrafted

College: Oregon State

A second-team All-Pac 12 performer in 2022, Jaydon Grant left Corvalis with nine interceptions and 17 passes defended in his last four seasons with the Beavers. Grant took reps at both strong and free safety during the preseason and played some special teams, helping his cause to get called up.

Marquez Callaway, WR

Experience: 4th year

Draft: Undrafted

College: Tennessee

Marquez Callaway began his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints where he racked up 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns in three seasons, including a near 700-yard and six-touchdown campaign in 2021. This offseason, he re-joined head coach Sean Payton by signing with the Broncos but didn’t make Denver’s roster. He’ll likely be the first wideout elevated if someone gets injured, barring how quickly he can pickup the playbook.

Isaac Darkangelo, LB

Experience: Rookie

Draft: Undrafted

College: Illinois

After originally signing with the Detroit Lions after the draft, Isaac Darkangelo was waived in late-May and didn’t join the Silver and Black until the end of training camp. Thus, Darkangelo only saw six snaps in the preseason, but he was pretty productive during his final year in college with 71 total tackles and 7.5 TFL.