Las Vegas Raiders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

ESPN's Ben Baby reports that the Cincinnati Bengals are releasing linebacker Germaine Pratt ahead of the team's mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Cincinnati drafted Pratt with the ninth pick in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he's appeared in 15 or more games in each of his six seasons, including 34 straight starts over the previous two. The 29-year-old tallied a career-high -- and team-leading -- 143 tackles (80 solo) in 2024, with two picks, two forced fumbles, and two recovered fumbles. Pratt formally requested a trade back in February, but after the Bengals could not find a suitable partner, they decided to cut ties with him. It seems favorable that he'll draw interest from another linebacker-needy organization.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is in tremendous shape and has been a standout performer at OTAs this offseason, according to team reporter Vincent Bonsignore. Mayer was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after a fantastic career at Notre Dame, but he has not had the impact many hoped for when he began his professional career. Injuries, poor quarterback play, and the team's selection of Brock Bowers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft have led to little production through his first two seasons. Overall, the 25-year-old has hauled in 48 receptions for 460 yards and two touchdowns. A potential Year 3 improvement would be great for the Raiders' 12-personnel groupings, but it would be a surprise if Mayer ends up on the fantasy football radar if Bowers stays healthy. The ideal outcome for Mayer's fantasy value is a trade to another team.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are moving their receivers around a lot during voluntary organized team activities. Jakobi Meyers and rookie Jack Bech have lined up frequently at both outside and slot receiver, while Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton have mostly been locked in on the outside. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly should be able to get pretty creative with his alignments based on the fact that tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer both have the ability to line up at slot or on the outside. Meyers had the best season of his career in 2024 with 87 catches, 1,027 yards and four touchdowns and is entering the final season of his contract in 2025. The 28-year-old benefitted from a pass-happy offense last year that was often playing from behind. While he gets an upgrade at QB with Geno Smith, the Raiders offense is now expected to be more run-heavy, likely leading to a regression in Meyers' numbers.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (knee) returned to practice at voluntary organized team activities on Thursday, an important step in his recovery from the torn ACL that caused him to miss all of the 2024 season. In his return to practice on Thursday, Koonce was primarily limited to individual drills. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (foot) didn't practice on Thursday as he continues to rehab from a Jones fracture he suffered last October. It's unlikely that Wilkins will make an appearance on the field before training camp. The Raiders are hoping that Koonce can be one of their most effective edge rushers in 2025 opposite All-Pro Maxx Crosby. The 26-year-old former third-rounder (79th overall) in 2021 out of Buffalo had 43 tackles (32 solo), eight sacks, nine tackles for loss, 17 QB hits and three forced fumbles in 17 games (11 starts) in 2023.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed writes that so far this offseason, things have gone smoothly as Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly have acclimated to one another. "Geno's literally like a second coach," Kelly said. "When you're in that room with him and Greg Olson, there's a lot of ideas going around. And then it's just a matter of corralling it. Because sometimes you can have too many ideas. Like, let's try to do a million things, and then you don't get good at one thing. But his football acumen is really off the charts, and it's impressive to be around him." Under Kelly, the Raiders want their offense to remain amorphous with flexibility to apply to their personnel groupings. Kelly is well-known for operating with plenty of wideouts, but Vegas also plans to use multi-tight-end sets frequently. Smith has a better TE to work with, but his weapons overall will be a downgrade from his last few years in Seattle. Consider him a high-end QB2/low-end QB1 in fantasy in his new digs.