The Raiders announced their cuts earlier this afternoon and it was mostly the players who weren’t expected to make the roster.. The two players that were surprise cuts were Alex Leatherwood and Keelan Cole. The Leatherwood cut was the most newsworthy after the team couldn’t find a trade partner.
The Cole news is somewhat unexpected after the Raiders signed him earlier this offseason. However, Cole played deep into the second half of the last preseason game and that should have been a pretty good indicator that his spot on the roster was in jeopardy.
The Raiders could look to sign Cole back to the practice squad and there is even a chance he could wind up on the 53-man roster again since he’s a vested veteran. But it’s clear the Raiders intend to go with some young players at receiver as they kept Mack Hollins and Tyron Johnson.
Cole turned 29 in April and has played in the NFL for five seasons. His best season came as a rookie for the Jaguars when he caught 42 passes for 748 yards and three touchdowns.
