Klint Kubiak and his staff got a much clearer read on the Las Vegas Raiders in their preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, and not just from the names that grabbed the spotlight.
Fernando Mendoza, running back Mike Washington Jr. and kicker Kansei Matsuzawa drew plenty of attention for what they did - and, in Matsuzawa’s case, didn’t do - but there were other Raiders who quietly put together strong nights and may have helped themselves in the process. A few of them were buried in the flow of the game, but they still made real impressions.
Charles Grant was one of the better examples. He wasn’t spotless, since he allowed two quarterback hits, but his work in the run game stood out.
He delivered a pancake block on a defensive lineman that helped spring Washington Jr.’s game-long 53-yard run. Grant lined up only at left tackle, though if this level of play holds, he could push for work on the right side too.
Atonio Mafi also played a role in Washington Jr.’s long burst and turned in a solid outing with the backup unit. His 74.8 PFF grade ranked sixth on the Raiders’ offense, and while he had issues in pass protection and gave up a quarterback hit, the overall showing was still strong.
Caleb Rogers didn’t get much buzz, but he should be in the conversation as his battle with Jackson Powers-Johnson continues. His run blocking was only average, yet he posted the best pass-blocking grade among Las Vegas offensive linemen in the game.
Treven Ma'ae added to a pattern that started last preseason, when he flashed again and again. He did not fill up the stat sheet this time, finishing with just one solo tackle, but he was steady against the run and helped the depth group hold up. If his pass-rush production comes along, a practice squad spot again is well within reach.
Greedy Vance Jr. was hard to miss even if the coverage around his game was light. He led the Raiders with 10 tackles and had five run stops, missing only one attempt. Arizona completed five passes for 42 yards against him, but he still looked sticky enough in coverage to strengthen his case for the 53.
Cody Lindenberg kept stacking useful snaps too. He recorded two strong run stops on 11 snaps against the run, wasn’t targeted on any of the eight plays in which he dropped into coverage, and saw action on four special teams units, which fits his usual profile.
Dalton Johnson showed the kind of versatility teams love in camp. He opened with a special teams tackle, then made his presence felt on defense with three run stops and a forced incompletion on the only ball thrown his way. He played snaps at four positions and appeared on five special teams units.
And then there was Tyler Duzansky. Long snapping isn’t exactly a glamorous evaluation, and most fans probably aren’t breaking down that position snap by snap. Still, a bad snap during the broadcast did not belong to Duzansky, and his PFF grade - 79.8 compared with Alex Ward’s 62.0 - backed that up.
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