Brennan Jackson

The Raiders already have one pass rusher on their roster that they weren’t expecting, and it looks like they could have another when the season begins. The first unexpected addition was actually a return, as veteran Maxx Crosby came back to Las Vegas following his failed trade to the Ravens. The second unexpected player could be Cian Slone, an undrafted free agent addition out of NC State that Sam Warren of The Athletic gives a decent chance to make the team’s 53-man roster.

Slone already beat the odds by making it to the NFL, period. Coming out of northern California, Slone went the JuCo route enrolling at American River College (CA). As a JuCo recruit, he committed to to Utah State, where he made a big impact on the Aggies defense. Starting 14 of 25 game appearances in two years, Slone tallied 9.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and six passes defensed. For his final year of eligibility, Slone transferred to Raleigh, where he started all 13 games for the Wolfpack and finished with 1.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, two passes defensed, and an interception.

Warren predicts that Las Vegas will carry five pass rushers on its 53-man roster coming into the regular season. Crosby and Malcolm Koonce are likely locks to retain their spots on the active roster, and the Raiders didn’t give Kwity Paye $16MM per year in free agency just to cut him. Third-round Auburn rookie Keyron Crawford is almost certainly safe, as well. After trading away former 7th overall pick Tyree Wilson and parting ways with Charles Snowden, that leaves one theoretical slot for which three players would compete.

Slone’s competition for that spot is 2024 Rams fifth-round pick Brennan Jackson and Jahfari Harvey, an undrafted rookie last year out of SMU. Jackson was claimed on waivers just before the 2025 campaign after he failed to make it out of final roster cuts in Los Angeles for his second season. The Washington State product played minimally on the Rams defense until getting to start in a meaningless Week 18 game as a rookie. He only appeared in three games for the Raiders last year and only played special teams in those games. Harvey was a frequent flier on the practice squad last year and could do more of the same in 2026.

According to Warren, Slone has impressed so far this offseason. So much so, that Slone has received opportunities to work with veteran groups in the team periods, which Warren notes is something none of his fellow undrafted peers got to experience. If Slone shows special teams value and continues to impress, the undrafted pass rusher could earn his way onto the team’s initial 53-man roster.