Practice squad elevations aren’t usually something that get talked about much, but sometimes can be pretty important. For instance, the Raiders two practice squad elevations for their Week one game in New England. Both of whom could play pivotal roles in the game.
Saturday, they activated WR Alex Bachman and S Terrell Edmunds.
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First up is WR Alex Bachman. He was edged out of a roster spot a couple weeks ago when the team signed Amari Cooper. But with Cooper abruptly doing an about face and retiring this week, the Raiders are now shorthanded at receiver. They signed WR Justin Shorter in a corresponding move with Cooper’s retirement designation, but Shorter is almost exclusively a special teams player, not a key part of the wide receiver rotation.
Bachman had appeared to have a very good chance of making the roster out of camp as he was consistently the next receiver on the field after the starters. With rookie Jack Bech not appearing to quite ready for that role, Bachman could see a decent amount of snaps on offense.
Then there’s Terrell Edmunds. The veteran safety was signed late in camp, and immediately began taking second team reps at safety, replacing the snaps Lonnie Johnson Jr had been getting prior to his injury. At this juncture, Edmunds may be the best option for that role at least until Johnson returns from his injury. Johnson is on injured reserve and will miss at least a month.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders make two key practice squad elevations for Week 1 vs Patriots