Last chance for bubble players to earn a spot on the 53-man roster
While most of the starters likely won’t be playing for the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers on Friday night, there’s still a lot riding on the line for this final preseason game.
There are plenty of players fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster as training camp comes to a close and the contest will be their last opportunity to show the coaching staff how they can contribute to the team. That creates some interesting matchups in the contest.
As noted in the previous iterations, with no injury report and certain players resting for the regular season, predicting who will suit up in the preseason is a challenge. But the matchups below at least give us a few names to keep tabs on during the game.
Carter Bradley vs. Malik Mustapha
With the Raiders focusing on the starting quarterback competition for the majority of training camp, Bradley hasn’t gotten many opportunities so far in the preseason. However, Gardner Minshew was named QB1 and Antonio Pierce said Aidan O’Connell won’t play against San Francisco, so the undrafted free agent will be in the limelight for the first time.
Bradley did get some action last week, throwing 13 passes for eight completions and 56 yards. He also recorded a “big-time throw”, according to Pro Football Focus, that was unfortunately dropped. Nonetheless, it was a nice ball and the South Alabama product has a gunslinger mentality that could help him earn the team’s third quarterback job.
That could test fellow rookie, safety Mailk Mustapha, who has been stingy so far during the preseason by surrendering only two catches for 11 yards on four targets per PFF. The fourth-round pick’s roster spot likely isn’t in jeopardy, but the 49ers’ coaching staff might be looking for a safety to step up.
Talanoa Hufanga is still on the PUP list after tearing an ACL in November. Even if Hufanga is cleared for Week 1, he might be on a pitch count to begin the season, so San Francisco will have to lean on its depth at the position.
Amari Gainer vs. Cameron Latu
Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images
No player on the Raiders’ roster has made more of their preseason opportunities than Gainer has. The undrafted free agent has been a standout over the last two weeks and currently owns the highest PFF grade (89.9) on the team and by a decent margin, over six points.
He’s been especially good in coverage, allowing just two completions on six targets for 19 yards and picking up two pass breakups in the process. With another strong outing, the North Carolina product could go from a perceived camp body to making the 53-man roster.
Meanwhile, despite being a third-round pick a year ago, Latu could be on the chopping block heading into Friday. He’s currently listed as a third-stringer on the depth chart, sharing the spot with Jake Tonges while Eric Saubert and Brayden Willis occupy the second-string role behind George Kittle.
Granted, Latu is coming off a productive outing (for the preseason) with three catches for 30 yards last week. So, that could make for some interesting one-on-one battles between him and Gainer.
Decmerion Richardson vs. Ronnie Bell
Unlike the Raiders listed above, Richardson doesn’t appear to be in any danger of making the team. He was a fourth-round pick and hasn’t shown any significant causes for concern during training camp or the preseason. However, Las Vegas does lack depth at cornerback and needs someone to step up and show that they are capable of coming off the bench when needed.
The Mississippi State product could be that guy, but he needs to prove to the coaching staff that he can prevent completions. Ball skills were one of the knocks on him coming out of college and so far in the preseason, he’s been targeted three times and allowed three completions.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are in a similar situation at wide receiver. With the ongoing Brandon Aiyuk saga and Ricky Pearsall struggling to stay healthy, the offense is looking for another pass-catcher it can rely on to come off the bench this fall.
That gives Bell an opportunity to earn some playing time during the regular season, but he’s only hauled in two catches for 37 yards in the team’s first two preseason games. So, he could certainly use a strong performance in Sin City.