There’s a lot to digest in terms of what the Las Vegas Raiders‘ most preseason recent loss means, especially for Tyree Wilson and Zamir White.
Unfortunately, the Silver and Black were unable to secure a perfect preseason as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Raiders pretty handily, 31-16. Despite the loss, there was reason for optimism. Las Vegas put a lot of its young talent on display Saturday night. Yes, there were some growing pains, but you’ve got to take the bad with the good. With that being said, here are a few knee-jerk reactions to what we saw…
Las Vegas Raiders RB Zamir White Is Not A Feature Back
Thank goodness Josh Jacobs is officially back; at least that’s how Raiders fans are feeling. We got a taste of life without the defending NFL rushing champ this preseason. Second-year back Zamir White was essentially the team’s starting running back for the past three weeks. It gave us an opportunity to see what White could do if he ever had to take on that role on a more permanent basis.
Through three preseason games, White carried the ball 26 times and averaged just over three yards per carry. He is a textbook plodder. He will run straight into the hole and get exactly what is blocked, nothing more. The former Georgia running back doesn’t really bring anything special to the table. That sounds harsh, but the film doesn’t lie—the drop-off from Jacobs to White is steep.
It’s clear that he is never going to adequately replace Jacobs. That should have the front office worried. Who knows if they will be able to work things out with Jacobs in the long term? If not, Las Vegas needs to look elsewhere for his replacement. Thankfully, next year’s class at that position is loaded, as our own Hunter Haas has found.
Zamir White was not the only young player who proved he was not ready to start. The preseason finale revealed a rookie on the defensive side of the ball who may not be prepared to have a feature role.
No One’s Happier Than Maxx Crosby To Have Josh Jacobs Back In The Mix
Tyree Wilson Is Not A Starer, Yet…
We got our first look at the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft. Wilson certainly showed why he was a top-10 pick on Saturday. Raider Nation was left salivating when he manhandled one of Dallas’ tackles. Nevertheless, let’s pump the breaks on this hype train a bit.
While the athleticism may be there, the awareness is not. Even on his best play of the night, Wilson rushed right past the quarterback. There was another instance on the opening drive when the Cowboys scored their first touchdown of the game. Wilson got sucked inside on a play-action bootleg and allowed Will Grier to run right around him for the score. Overall, he looked a bit robotic. It was clear that he was still getting a feel for the NFL game.
If Wilson begins the season as a three-down starter opposite Maxx Crosby, it might not be pretty. His rawness will be exploited by opposing offensive coordinators. That being said, he can still contribute right away. To start the season, Wilson should be deployed as a pass-rush specialist in third-and-long and other clear passing situations. As the year goes on, they can put more on his plate.
Tyree Wilson was not the only rookie to get a lot of playing time. We saw a lot of Las Vegas’ 2023 draft picks on Saturday night. They may not be ready to carry this team, but they showed some promise.
Raiders Offseason Drama Put To Bed: Josh Jacobs Is Back, Mark Davis Elated
The Future Looks Bright
A lot of the guys that played in the preseason will not be starting Week 1. Nevertheless, several of them showed a ton of potential. On both sides of the ball, we caught a glimpse into the future of the Silver and Black, and there is a lot of reason for optimism.
Offensively, we have to start with Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders have prominently featured the rookie this preseason—we didn’t need to see Brian Hoyer to know what the team has in him. The reps O’Connell has gotten this month will certainly fast-track his development. If and when he is called upon in the regular season, he could take the job and never look back.
Whenever ‘AOC4’ does take over, he will have two young pass catchers to rely on. Michael Mayer gave off some Travis Kelce vibes with the way Las Vegas moved him around. Also, fellow rookie Tre Tucker continues to improve as a receiver. Those two, plus O’Connell, could be a three-headed monster for the Raiders passing attack in the future.
What About The Raiders’ Defensive Youth?
There are a few potential starters on the other side of the ball as well. We already mentioned Tyree Wilson, who will be a force once he puts it all together. We have also seen some second-year defenders who are close to taking the next step. Former undrafted free agent linebacker Luke Masterson has been flying all over the field with seven solo tackles this preseason. Fellow 2022 UDFA Isaiah Pola-Mao has had a strong preseason as well. The former USC safety is making a strong push to get some playing time this season, perhaps in some sub packages.
Overall, this game showed that the Raiders have some decent pieces in the pipeline. While the result wasn’t great, that does not really matter. Many of the guys playing in that game won’t be on NFL rosters in a few days. The important thing is that Las Vegas seems to have found a few guys who are going to stick around in this league for a long time.
*Top Photo: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports