The offseason is the perfect time for the Oakland Raiders to build up their team, increasing the roster to 90 players instead of 53 in anticipation of training camp and the preseason. This provides more opportunities for head coach Jon Gruden and his staff to evaluate the existing talent and determine exactly which players will jell together the best in order to put together a winning season.

Unfortunately, the roster ballooning to 90 players also means that there will be some casualties once roster cutdown day arrives at the end of August. The Raiders will once again be required to whittle down the list of options until there are only 53 men on the active roster and 10 on the practice squad. This means that there are some tough decisions being made in the interest of building a playoff contender.

Upon examination, Oakland's roster shows that there are certain players guaranteed to be in the building due to their contracts and the dead money that would be left on the books if they were released. Antonio Brown, Trenton Brown, Derek Carr, and Tyrell Williams are a few of these figures given that the Raiders would lose $10-27.4 million by releasing these starters. Similarly, veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins would cost the Raiders $5.25 million if he happened to be released.

With these veterans essentially guaranteed to be on the roster come opening day, the potential cuts will have to come from the other end of the spectrum. Oakland will have to cut ties with undrafted rookie free agents and veterans that signed small deals with barely any guarantees in order to compete for a spot on the team. But which players could receive the dreaded news?

Nevin Lawson, Cornerback

A former member of the Detroit Lions, Lawson came to the Raiders to help fix a secondary that allowed the 19th-most passing yards in 2018. So far, the investment hasn't provided consistent dividends. Obviously, it's difficult to truly track his potential impact with the team based on non-contact practices during Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp, but Lawson has been, by all reports, struggling in coverage.

He routinely gave up big plays to Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, and Marcell Ateman during the spring while competing with Nick Nelson for a spot in the defensive rotation. Given his experience in the NFL, it's possible that Lawson will remain with the Raiders entering the season, but he will have to showcase his skills during training camp and the preseason. If not, the Raiders will only lose $1.555 million in dead cap by releasing him. Gruden and co. still have two rookies in Isaiah Johnson and Trayvon Mullen that will be fighting for snaps, and either player could steal Lawson's spot with strong play.

Doug Martin, Running Back

This choice is difficult to make, but it's important to note multiple factors that could play a role in this decision. First off, Martin is the oldest back in the group at 30 years old, and he only signed with the team after free agent acquisition Isaiah Crowell suffered a season-ending injury. Second, the Raiders used a first-round pick to bring former Alabama runner Josh Jacobs to town. He is clearly the future at the position and will be the starter at some point. Although the Raiders have talked about using Martin to ease the rookie into action.

The other factor to consider is that there are three other running backs that will need to be utilized. Jalen Richard is a proven weapon on third down and as a receiving back, and he has absolutely thrived in Jon Gruden's offense with 68 receptions. DeAndre Washington hasn't seen as many snaps during the Gruden era, but he has impressed in the past when given the opportunity. The Raiders may not be willing to part ways with Washington in order to let another team turn him into a star.

Finally, there is the fan favorite Chris Warren III. The Texas product landed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and impressed mightily during his preseason opportunities. He is a bruising back at 6-foot-4-inches and 250-pounds, and he rushed 58 times for 292 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason. Unfortunately for Warren, his time was cut short due to a season-ending knee injury, but that didn't limit the excitement about his potential. Even general manager Mike Mayock raved about Warren during his first press conference on the job. Mayock wasn't even in town when Warren showcased his potential as a rookie, but he's well aware of the damage that the kid can do to opposing defenses.

If you combine the sheer number of players in this rotation with the first-round selection of Jacobs and Martin's age, it's relatively easy to determine that he will likely be the odd man out in this rotation. The Raiders won't lose much in terms of the salary cap considering that the veteran only has $55,000 in dead cap on his contract. Martin may have led the team in rushing in 2018 (723 yards, 4 TDs), but his release from the team is a real possibility at this point in his career.