HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders have reached that familiar late-August stretch where every rep feels like it matters a little more. Training camp is essentially wrapped, and Thursday’s preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers is the last chance for players to leave a mark before the games start counting.
That urgency has only grown with the running back situation. Ashton Jeanty went down with an injury on Sunday, and while later reports pointed to him avoiding the worst-case scenario, head coach Klint Kubiak didn’t offer much beyond saying he was “on the mend.” Whether Jeanty misses time or not, the door is open for fourth-round rookie Mike Washington and the rest of the group to make one last push.
“I think [Mike’s] had a good camp,” said Kubiak on his impressions of Washington and the positional group.
“You’ll see him play really good football on Thursday but…we got a lot of other guys that have to step up. Dylan [Laube], we got [Roman] Hemby, we got Dare [Ogunbowale]. [Running backs coach] Omar [Young] has been doing a great job of coaching those guys and getting them ready.”
The same challenge has been hanging over the receivers, too. After the Texans game, Kubiak made it clear he wants someone in that room to emerge and make a difference. Brock Bowers remains the focal point in the passing game, but the Raiders know the offense looks a lot better if more than one target can consistently separate.
There are still roster battles unfolding on defense as well. The secondary is young and getting ready for a new season, while players such as Patrick Johnson are trying to squeeze out one more strong showing and force the team into tougher decisions when the 53-man roster gets set.
“He’s getting turnovers, getting strip sacks, playing multiple positions,” Kubiak said about Johnson’s improvement over this preseason. “I think he’s a mature guy that had a really good game last week.”
Even with all that uncertainty, the Raiders have leaned on veteran voices to steady the room. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis and offensive line coach Rick Dennison bring 65 years of coaching experience between them, and that kind of know-how has mattered as the team tries to clean up the details before the regular season arrives.
DeCamillis pointed to the mistakes he saw last week, including Kansei Matsuzawa’s landing zone violation and Decamerion Richardson running out of bounds.
“I know we had some penalties last week and nobody’s sicker than me,” said DeCamillis, mentioning Kansei Matsuzawa’s landing zone violation and Decamerion Richardson running out of bounds.
“Those are the ones I’m upset about, but the holding calls, I look at them as teachable moments. You need to get that stuff on tape now so it doesn’t happen during the regular season, and that’s how we’re approaching it right now.”
On the other side of the ball, Dennison has helped guide an offensive line that was a problem area last year. Working every day against Maxx Crosby is hardly easy, but the group has handled the preseason work well enough, and the on-field results have looked sharper through two exhibition games.
“I think [Dennison’s] awesome. He’s a great coach,” said offensive lineman Jordan Meredith, also highlighting the work of offensive run game coordinator Mario Jeberaeel, assistant offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson and offensive quality control coach Pete Collins in turning things around.
“You can tell that they know what they’re looking for. The coaching points, they’ve done it before. Whether it’s scheme or technique, they’re really on it and it’s been a breath of fresh air getting that.”
For the rookies, Thursday is another checkpoint in a camp that started with rookie minicamp right after the draft and has carried them all the way to the doorstep of the regular season. Defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland said the growth has been constant.
“I’ve just grown a lot coming from college, being in the NFL, being in a professional environment,” said rookie defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland. “It’s just a lot of different ways to grow just on the field and off the field.”
With roster cutdown day looming and Week One against the Miami Dolphins next on the schedule, the Raiders have one final preseason stage to show how far they’ve come.
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