The Las Vegas Raiders are reconfiguring their offensive line, and they do still have some issues. But they also have a player who's been standing out in the preseason, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic , who identified center Will Putnam has one of his ten preseason risers as cutdown day approaches along with the Raiders' final preseason game.
The Raiders signed Putnam in 2024 as an undrafted free agent, and he missed the cut as a rookie but still managed to make the 53-man roster. He made two starts at center during the disastrous 2025 season last year, and he's putting together a solid preseason, per Popper.
The writer lauded Putnam for his work against the Houston Texans in the Raiders' 22-20 win, saying he showed the awareness in pass protection to identify and handle stunts on the interior. That performance include a play where Putnam reset his anchor in a one-on-one situation against second round pick Kayden McDonald, and that gave quarterback Aidan O'Connell a clean pocket to complete a 10-yard pass.
In the fourth quarter Putnam executed a pancake block on a screen pass, although Popper noted that the center is better in pass protection than he is as a run blocker.
The tricky part of the equation right now is that the Raiders have plenty of depth at center, as they signed Tyler Linderbaum in free agency and reset the center market in the process. Las Vegas aslso has Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jordan Meredith as depth options, so Putnam could be available in a trade at or around the roster cutdown date.
One team that might be able to use him is Linderbaum's old team, the Baltimore Ravens. They officially put center Danny Pinter on injured reserve for the entire season, and they've been having trouble finding Linderbaum's replacement, according to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
The Ravens do have Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic in the mix at center, but Pinter was expected to be the team's starter, and it's possible the Ravens could be interested in taking giving Putnam a shot.
There will be other teams looking for centers, though, and at this point a trade is more desirable than putting a player on waivers given the state of the Las Vegas roster and the abundant needs at multiple positions groups.
It's definitely a situation to watch going into the final weekend of the preseason, especially if the Raiders can use Putnam to help fill an obvious need.
