Raiders' Antonio Pierce Preparing For One of the Toughest Parts of the Job

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is soon going to have to let certain players know they didn't make the 53-man roster, the hardest conversation any coach has to have.

Antonio Pierce at Allegiant Stadium / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

The Las Vegas Raiders are getting ready to solidify their 53-man roster.

While it can be an exciting time, with the fans and the team knowing what their roster is going to look like going into Week 1, having to make those cuts is, what you always hear coaches say, the hardest part of the job.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is going to experience his first 53-man roster cuts as a head coach. While that specific circumstance will be new to him, he did have to make those tough decisions as interim head coach last season as well.

"To be honest, I had some tough cuts last year," Pierce told reporters on Wednesday. "In my third game, against the Kansas City Chiefs. Right after that with Marcus Peters. And that was difficult. But it's never easy. I don't think it's ever easy telling a gentleman they don't have a spot here. And you don't want to tell them they can't play in the National Football League; you got to keep going. Sometimes, it's not your year, might not be a fit, might be a roster number, might be a situation where you draft the guys at, just whatever it may be. I don't look forward to it, but it's part the business, we all understand that."

Pierce knows as well as anyone how tough it can be as an undrafted player and one who has to scratch and claw for every opportunity at the NFL level. While he prepares to make cuts, he will also likely have the benefit of letting some of his undrafted free agents know they are one step closer to their dreams.

"I mean, every year you got three to five guys that just kind of pop up," Pierce said last week. "Like, man, check this guy out. Will Putnam, the center, has done a really good job for us. We got some other guys, linebackers, Amari [Gainer] has done a really good job as far as just stepping up and being physical. But I think overall, these guys they’ll get more opportunities as we get into the preseason. It's tough, especially when you're playing your starters like we are, and we'll do it again this week, for those guys get the reps.

"But I think more importantly, you're looking at guys that if they don't make the roster and we put them
on the practice squad, is that somebody that we feel like we can develop in a year or two and they become a player.”

Those on the bubble of making the roster will have one final opportunity to make their case when the Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers in their final preseason game on Friday.

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