Dylan Laube’s Week 1 showing was enough to move him into a bigger spot with the Las Vegas Raiders, and now the punt return picture is starting to take shape around him.
Raiders special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said Friday that Laube will be a captain this week after what he called an excellent performance against Miami. DeCamillis praised Laube’s work as a returner and said he was very productive in coverage too.
That usage, though, wasn’t all-in on one man. Malik Benson was also back there handling punts, and DeCamillis explained that Laube was used in what he described as a “defense stay” situation.
He added that this “may not be the case every single week” and said the team will look at it week to week. In other words, this is still a moving target, not a locked-in rotation.
The way the Raiders are using Laube says plenty about how they see him. He’s not just filling a single special teams lane; he’s helping in multiple phases, and that kind of flexibility matters for a running back trying to stick on a 53-man roster. The discussion here is about roster value, not contracts or cap numbers, and the message is clear: players who can do more than one job are the ones who tend to survive the back end of a roster.
On the depth chart, the punt return role remains split. DeCamillis said Laube has gotten more reps there than Benson, which helps explain why Laube gets the call in certain situations. Benson, meanwhile, has drawn praise for his decision-making.
DeCamillis also brought up the Rams’ Super Bowl season as an example of how teams can start with a committee. Cooper Kupp shared return duties before the Rams eventually settled on a full-time returner they trusted in 2022. DeCamillis said rotating returners can create a schematic advantage, and he indicated that could matter as the season moves forward.
For now, Laube looks like the top option when the Raiders want the defense-stay look, while Benson will keep getting opportunities. The job still feels open enough that the safest returner could eventually pull away and claim it outright.
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