Breaking: Raiders releases two of their key players ahead of final roster cutdown.

According to an August 27 X post from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, quarterback Nathan Peterman is one of the early players that has been let go by the Las Vegas Raiders, who must reduce their roster to 53 players.

After being cut by the New Orleans Saints, Peterman signed a new contract and started the Raiders’ third preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. Luke Getsy, the offensive coordinator for the Raiders, coached him during his final two seasons with the Chicago Bears.

He is a strong chance to be added back to the practice squad due to his familiarity with the offense. The value of a seasoned quarterback on the practice squad is limited, though, since Pelissero notes that NFL teams were recently notified that the Emergency 3rd Quarterback rule does not apply when raising quarterbacks from the practice squad.

The Raiders may choose to go with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew for the time being, or they may try to add another quarterback to the active roster. Although it would make more sense to stash rookie Carter Bradley on the practice squad, Peterman might have an advantage because of his knowledge with Getsy’s scheme. The Raiders should still keep an eye on Peterman even if he was cut.

Woo Governor, an undrafted rookie cornerback, had a strong training camp but was not good enough to be on the starting roster. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he was waived on August 26. According to Bonsignore, the Raiders will probably attempt to add Governor back to the practice squad.

Three defensive linemen are no longer with the team. According to Levi Damien of USA Today, defensive tackles Noah Shannon and Marquan McCall, as well as defensive end Ron Stone Jr., were all dismissed. As rookies, Stone and Shannon ought to have an opportunity to join the practice squad. Since McCall has played in the NFL for a few seasons, the Raiders might not be as eager to have him return.

There are still a lot of decisions that Las Vegas needs to make, and more surprises are definitely in store.