A few bubble players made some strong statements on Friday night
The Las Vegas Raiders wrapped up the preseason on Friday night which means the entire organization’s attention turns to cutdown day on Tuesday as the Raiders finalize their 53-man roster. So, the focus for this week’s winners and losers is on players who were on the bubble heading into the matchup.
WINNER: Tyreik McAllister
The Raiders had open competitions for the final roster spots at wide receiver and the punt returner job during training camp, and McAllister gave the coaching staff something to think about with his impressive game versus the 49ers.
The wideout hauled in both of his targets for 56 yards and a touchdown, including an impressive 35-yard score where he made a nice adjustment to the ball to haul it in. On top of that, the wideout found the endzone on an 81-yard punt return to put together an excellent night and make the most of his final opportunity to land on the roster.
LOSER: Nathan Peterman
As much as it pains me to say it, Peterman wasn’t sharp on Friday night. He completed 12 of 19 passes for just 108 yards and didn’t record a ‘big-time throw’ while having one ‘turnover-worthy’ play, according to Pro Football Focus. Granted, the veteran was playing against the better defense, but he got outplayed by Carter Bradley who was much more willing to let it rip.
While Bradley completed just nine of 21 passes, a couple of incompletions were due to drops and his adjusted completion percentage was about the same as Peterman’s; 67.9 percent to 68.4. Also, eight of the rookie’s completions went for at least a first down compared to six of the veteran’s 12.
This could alter which quarterbacks Las Vegas ends up keeping on the active roster.
WINNER: Defensive End Depth
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With Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson being locks to make the team at defensive end, the coaching staff is going to have a difficult time picking a fourth or fifth player at the position in a good way.
Janarius Robinson, who has been a standout throughout the preseason, had another good day against the 49ers with a team-high 81.9 PFF defensive grade. He also led the Raiders with six pressures and recorded a solid mark against the run (65.4). Meanwhile, Charles Snowden has also been sharp this month and managed to get a sack along with three total pressures the other night (one sack, two quarterback hits).
Elerson Smith was quieter versus San Francisco, but he has also had a handful of impressive moments during the preseason. So, while it’s a good problem to have, the coaching staff is going to have to let at least one defensive end go who might have earned a roster spot in a different circumstance.
LOSER: Kana’i Mauga
It’s been a tough preseason for Mauga as he recorded an ugly 38.1 PFF defensive grade. Coverage was one of his biggest issues, surrendering six completions on six targets and 62 total yards. That all came to a head on Friday, yielding four of those completions for 49 yards.
The three-year pro was also sub-par as a run-defender, recording a 42.9 mark over the last three weeks. Meanwhile, Amari Gainer has been one of the biggest standouts for the Silver and Black which could lead to the undrafted rookie getting the nod over the veteran.
WINNER: Jordan Meredith
The Raiders need a backup center and Meredith might have locked up the job on Friday. He was the team’s second-highest-graded offensive player (80.5), earning a 74.6 mark as a run-blocker and keeping his streak going of three outings without giving up a pressure, per PFF. Granted, he was lined up at left guard, but Meredith has experience playing center and the team’s other two options had tough nights.
Ben Brown struggled as a run-blocker with a 42.3 grade and surrendered two pressures in pass protection. While Will Putnam pitched another shutout as a pass-blocker, he also posted a mark of 36.4 in the ground game which is where the rookie has struggled throughout the preseason.
LOSER: Cornerback Depth
While Sam Webb had a good game, coming up with a pass breakup that led to an interception on the only rep where he was targeted, the rest of the reserve corners were either bad or unremarkable.
After the game, Antonio Pierce indicated that the team will explore bringing in a veteran option at cornerback as a depth piece to avoid having to play one of the young players. That’s not a good sign for the corners who have been in the building over the last month.