Raiders trim roster to 53 after placing OLB Keyron Crawford on injured reserve

The Las Vegas Raiders reduced their roster to 53 players with a transaction series that included placing outside linebacker Keyron Crawford on injured reserve. The move, reported by Pro Football Rumors on Sunday, is part of the NFL’s regular preseason and roster-management rhythm as teams finalize who will carry the heaviest workload into the early season.

In the same set of roster actions, the Raiders released multiple players. The report listed wide receivers Phillip Dorsett and Brandon Johnson, linebacker Buddy Johnson, linebacker Cameron McGrone, tight end Chris Myarick, running back Dare Ogunbowale, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, linebacker Segun Olibi, wide receiver Deven Thompkins, and placed the rest of the transactions into the category of “released,” a label used for players who are taken off the team’s roster during final trimming.

The team also waived two players, according to the report: quarterback Jacob Clark and defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland. In NFL practice, waiving a player means other teams have an opportunity to claim the contract before the player clears waivers and becomes available for additional assignments depending on league rules and timing.

Alongside those moves, Pro Football Rumors also listed waiver or roster cut-related actions involving offensive and special teams roles. The report named an offensive-line and special-teams group that included waiver entries for offensive lineman Braeden Daniels, long snapper Tyler Duzansky, and defensive end Jahfari Harvey. The Raiders also listed additional roster trimming involving the long-snapper position, which is a niche role that often swings quickly during final cuts.

While the report confirms the existence of these transactions, it does not provide details in the accessible account about the underlying reason for Crawford’s injured-reserve placement beyond the fact of the designation itself. In general terms, injured reserve is used for players who must miss a minimum stretch of time, reshaping the team’s short-term depth chart and practice-week planning.

Roster cuts at this stage have a clear operational impact. With the Raiders down to 53, the team’s weekly roster, game-day activation, and practice-squad assignments become more defined, and the remaining players can be more tightly organized around position-group needs. For players who were released or waived, the immediate next step typically depends on whether other teams claim them off waivers or whether they receive opportunities with another organization or a practice-squad role.

For Las Vegas, the Crawford injured-reserve designation is also a report that the team will need to distribute reps among remaining linebacker options early, both in preparation and in whatever opening-game plan is built around their available personnel. The Raiders will likely be looking to stabilize outside and interior depth quickly through their practice-week work as they move past the roster-trimming window.

As the season approaches, the practical question will be whether any of the waived players draw interest around the league and how the Raiders adjust the linebacker and defensive-front rotation without Crawford. Another watch item is how the released depth pieces are handled, since NFL teams often continue to shuffle bodies through the practice-squad and emergency depth opportunities once the active roster picture settles.