The Raiders’ preseason ended the way so many exhibition finales do: with a sloppy, touchdown-free game that still handed the staff and front office plenty to sort through before cutdown day. Las Vegas fell 18-12 to the 49ers on Thursday night, but the bigger story was which players helped themselves and which ones made life harder as Sunday approached.
Some of the most important answers came from the guys expected to be part of the real rotation. Mike Washington Jr. looked the part with the first-team offense, turning eight carries into 49 yards for a sturdy 6.1 per rush without relying on one splash play. The starting offensive line gave Kirk Cousins room to work and opened lanes for Washington Jr., while also showing a few interesting schematic wrinkles that suggested this group could be league-average, which is all Klint Kubiak and the Raiders really need in 2026.
On the other side of the ball, Rob Leonard’s defense kept building. Las Vegas did not allow a touchdown, handled third down well and did a good job limiting the 49ers through the air. The Raiders gave up a few chunk plays, mostly on the ground, but it was still a strong finish for a unit that has now improved in back-to-back weeks.
A few individual defenders stood out, too. JJ Pegues played only 17 defensive snaps, which may hint that he is safe for cutdown day, and he made the most of them with two pressures, a batted pass, four total tackles, three solo stops and two run stops. Cameron McGrone was just as noticeable, putting together his best preseason performance with a team-high five tackles, three solo stops, two run stops, a forced incompletion and a good special teams tackle.
Tre Tucker also made his limited work count. In 15 plays, he caught all three of his targets for 25 yards and piled up 27 yards after the catch. Kubiak found ways to get him the ball, and Tucker delivered once it was in his hands.
Jordan Meredith earned a positive note as well. His preseason had not been especially strong, but against the 49ers’ third-stringers he handled pass protection cleanly and looked solid in the run game, which was enough to earn the offense’s top overall PFF grade.
And at kicker, Matt Gay made the job official. Kansei Matsuzawa did not appear, and Gay went 4-for-5 on field goals, connecting from 53, 48, 45 and 37 yards while missing from 54.
He accounted for every Raiders point.
The flip side was uglier for several depth players. The backup offensive line struggled again, failing to keep Fernando Mendoza clean and offering little push in the run game. The communication issues showed up, and there were too many snaps where defenders simply beat blockers outright.
Ian Thomas also had a rough night. He dropped two more passes to add to his preseason total and followed up another poor week in pass protection by allowing a quarterback hit.
His run blocking was not much better. Cody Lindenberg and Tommy Eichenberg both had tough outings at linebacker, with each missing two tackles against San Francisco.
Lindenberg finished with just one assisted tackle in 20 defensive snaps and missed twice as many tackles as he made. Eichenberg had three tackles and a run stop, but he also gave up a five-yard catch and joined Lindenberg in a shaky night of tackling.
The quarterback spot did not help the cause either. O’Connell went 3-for-9 for 32 yards and added a three-yard scramble on fourth down that came up well short of the line to gain. He never found a rhythm, and it closed out a preseason that was rough from start to finish.
In Other News...
Raiders Just Got A Real Chance To Address A WR Concern
The receiver market got a little more interesting for Las Vegas this week when Cleveland moved on from Cedric Tillman, a former third-round pick who never quite found steady footing with the Browns. Tillman has flashed enough to keep teams interested, with 71 catches, 833 yards and five touchdowns over three seasons, but injuries and inconsistent playing time have kept him from turning that draft pedigree into a larger role.
For the Raiders, the timing matters. They have priority to claim him on waivers, which gives them a clean chance to add a young wideout without having to wait around for the open market to sort itself out. Whether they actually pounce is the question, but after months of uncertainty around the receiver room, this is the kind of low-cost opportunity teams like Las Vegas can use to address a need before it becomes a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Could Finally Give Fernando Mendoza The Weapon He Needs
The Raiders have already tied their future to Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, and now the attention is starting to shift to the kind of support that could help a young quarterback grow into the job. One of the clearest ways to do that is by surrounding him with difference-makers, and in the draft conversation around Las Vegas, a wide receiver named Smith has emerged as a possible fit with the sixth overall pick.
Smiths college rsum makes the case for why he could matter so much to a quarterback in Mendozas position. If the Raiders ever put that pairing together, it would give them the kind of high-end target that can change how defenses play them and make life easier for a rookie passer. For now, it remains a projection rather than a decision, but it is exactly the sort of draft angle that will keep Raiders fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Fans May Need More Patience With Fernando Mendoza
The Raiders closed their 2026 preseason at Allegiant Stadium against the 49ers, and the night offered another reminder that rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza is still very much in the learning phase. Klint Kubiak started Kirk Cousins, but Mendoza still got a meaningful stretch of snaps as the staff tried to keep feeding him experience before the games start counting.
Mendozas line was uneven, with 5 completions on 9 attempts for 38 yards, one interception and two sacks. For Las Vegas, the bigger takeaway may be less about the stat sheet than the process, because the rookie is being asked to grow fast while the Raiders sort through how much patience his development will require. [Read more 🡒]