3 Las Vegas Raiders who could pull off upsets on the 53-man roster

Mike Moraitis

3 Las Vegas Raiders who could pull off upsets on the 53-man roster image

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have one more preseason game left to play before the team turns its attention to the regular season. That contest comes on Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

After two preseason games, we have a much better idea of who will and won't make the roster before the final dress rehearsal.

But there are still no doubt plenty of uncertainties up and down the roster and a few players have an open door to pull off an upset and make the cut, even though they initially weren't expected to.

Here's a look at three different players who fit the bill.

QB Cam Miller

Miller was a sixth-round pick in April at a position where the Raiders had a pretty solid situation thanks to Geno Smith and Aidan O'Connell, so he entered training camp with an uphill climb to make the roster.

However, Miller was very impressive in preseason Week 1 and while he wasn't as good in preseason Week 2, the North Dakota State product did make a few nice throws that caught our attention.

If you watched the preseason Week 2 broadcast, you know Raiders great Rich Gannon is very high on Miller, who also received an endorsement from Raiders minority owner Tom Brady before the team drafted him.

Despite O'Connell's struggles this offseason, we don't think Miller has done enough to pull off the ultimate upset, which would be grabbing the QB2 job away from the veteran signal-caller.

That said, Miller has shown enough for the Raiders to keep him around as someone they can continue to develop in the hopes he turns into something down the road.

WR Shedrick Jackson

The great-nephew of Bo Jackson, Shedrick Jackson entered training camp without much fanfare but has been one of the biggest standouts for the Raiders through two preseason games.

Jackson's best game came in preseason Week 1, when he reeled in four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a 41-yard pass from Cam Miller and saw Jackson fake a defender out of his cleats with a beautiful move.

Las Vegas figures to have four locks at wide receiver in Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Dont'e Thornton and Jack Bech, which could leave two spots up for grabs if the Raiders keep six.

Jackson definitely has a chance at defying the odds and making the cut. At the very least, he should end up on the practice squad if he passes through waivers.

OL Laki Tasi

Signed as part of the International Player Pathway Program, Tasi is brand new to football and was already facing an uphill climb to make the roster. Then, the deck was stacked against him even more after the Raiders wanted the massive 6-foot-6, 346-pound lineman to switch from defensive to offensive line in minicamp.

However, Tasi has been impressive against all odds, as he's regularly been moving bodies in Las Vegas' preseason games while playing at right guard.

Tasi's preseason debut saw him register stellar Pro Football Focus grades of 78.5 in pass-blocking and 79.6 in run-blocking and he didn't surrender a single pressure over his 17 snaps.

In preseason Week 2, Tasi once again posted a zero in the pressures column and finished with a 78.7 pass-blocking grade in 12 snaps.

"It's a real treasure just to watch him develop," head coach Pete Carroll said of Tasi earlier this offseason.

Because of IPP rules, the Raiders can keep Tasi on the practice squad and he won't count toward the 16-man limit. But if we've noticed Tasi this preseason, other teams have, also, which means he may not make it through waivers if the Raiders cut him.

That being said, Tasi may have already shown enough to earn a roster spot outright. Either way, his being on the initial 53-man roster would amount to an epic upset.

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Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.