Several Raiders took a real step forward in the preseason opener, and now they get another chance to keep that buzz going Thursday against the Houston Texans.
Las Vegas opened exhibition play with a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but the score didn’t tell the whole story. The offense flashed.
A few younger players made noise. And at this stage, that’s exactly what the Raiders are looking for: progress, not perfection.
Here are five players who can keep stacking good tape in Week 2.
Jack Bech looked like a third-down problem for the Cardinals
Jack Bech didn’t exactly light up training camp chatter, at least not from the Raiders beat reporters who watched him daily. But when the lights came on, he delivered.
In the preseason opener, Bech caught all three of his targets for 25 yards and a touchdown. For Raiders fans who remember "3rd-and-Renfrow," that’s the lane he filled last week. Kirk Cousins found him on the opening drive, and Fernando Mendoza hit him twice after that, including once in the end zone.
Bech, a second-rounder from the previous year, still sits in a top-three spot on the receiver depth chart. Another strong showing Thursday would only strengthen his case as the team’s most dependable option on key third downs.
Charles Grant gave the run game room to breathe
Charles Grant logged 31 snaps at left tackle last week, and while Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing two hits, he also helped carve out plenty of space in the run game.
One play in particular stood out: Grant drove a defender so far out of the picture that Mike Washington Jr. burst through a huge lane for a long gain. That kind of rep matters for a lineman trying to get back on the radar.
The Raiders brought in Stone Forsythe last year as veteran depth for the offensive line, and that move didn’t work out well at left tackle. If Grant follows up with another clean outing, the coaching staff should feel a lot better about him as the primary swing tackle.
Fernando Mendoza keeps earning more trust
Head coach Klint Kubiak said he would give Fernando Mendoza more work with the first-team offense, and according to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, he followed through.
After a joint practice, Will Anderson Jr. had strong words for the rookie quarterback’s future.
" Ton of respect for him. Going to be a really great quarterback in this league."
Mendoza’s preseason debut was steady: 10-of-16 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown. He was on the field for most of that game, and he should get extended work again Thursday.
The Texans, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander, won’t play most of their starters, which gives Mendoza a cleaner setting to keep working on command of Kubiak’s offense.
Caleb Rogers may be making his move at right guard
Caleb Rogers is sitting on a real opening here. He could work his way into the lead spot for a starting job.
Kubiak told reporters that Jackson Powers-Johnson will miss Thursday’s game, and that only adds weight to what happened in Week 1. Rogers split most of the right guard snaps with Powers-Johnson in the preseason opener, and Rogers had the better showing.
Pro Football Focus said Rogers didn’t allow a pressure across 12 pass-blocking snaps. Powers-Johnson gave up a sack over 14 pass-blocking snaps.
With Powers-Johnson out, Rogers has a chance to separate himself and become the clear best answer on the right side of the interior line.
Mike Washington Jr. brings the explosive element
The Raiders got help from the offensive line, especially Grant, but Mike Washington Jr. still had to finish the job. He did plenty of that in Week 1, breaking loose for a 53-yard run and finishing with six carries for 63 yards.
Washington’s big-play burst has shown up in other settings too. According to KPRC-2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, he picked up chunk yardage during a joint practice.
" #Raiders backup rookie running back Mike Washington Jr., who met extensively with #Texans in #NFLDraft process, long run against team's defense as he gets around the perimeter."
With that kind of run-after-contact ability and perimeter speed, Washington gives the Raiders another weapon in a backfield that already has plenty of upside. Ashton Jeanty and the rookie fourth-rounder could end up driving one of the league’s most dangerous downhill rushing attacks.
In Other News...
Malik Benson Just Put His Raiders Opening Week Case In Trouble
Fernando Mendozas preseason outing against the Texans had its bright spots and its ugly ones, but for Malik Benson, the tape will mostly be remembered for the missed chances. The Raiders rookie wide receiver, who has flashed enough in training camp to generate some optimism, managed one catch for 18 yards while also putting two passes on the ground in a game where every clean rep mattered.
Benson came into the summer with a real opening to strengthen his case for regular-season snaps, especially as a late-round pick trying to carve out a role. Instead, the kind of mistakes that can linger in the minds of coaches showed up at an inopportune time, leaving his path to Week 1 looking a little less secure than it did before this preseason test. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Fans Will Notice How Fernando Mendoza Responded To One Brutal Mistake
Fernando Mendozas preseason debut for the Raiders had the kind of jolt that can change a game in a hurry, and it came on a play he would probably like to forget. The rookie quarterback threw an interception that Houston Texans rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz turned into an 80-yard touchdown, a swing that immediately put Mendoza under a brighter spotlight as he continued working through the early stages of his NFL career.
What stood out, though, was the way Mendoza reacted after the mistake. Instead of easing up, he chased Woodaz and tried to make the tackle before the score was complete, a small but telling detail about how he handled the moment. Troy Aikman also noted on the broadcast that the play may have been the result of a miscommunication rather than a simple misread, which leaves the Raiders with a familiar preseason question - how much of a costly turnover was a quarterback mistake, and how much was just the kind of timing issue young passers have to clean up. [Read more 🡒]
Aidan OConnell May Have Just Ended A Raiders QB Debate
Aidan OConnell got the second-half chance in the Raiders preseason game against the Texans and made it count in a way that could matter long after August. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 166 yards, posted an 83.0 passer rating and even added a rushing touchdown, then capped the night by guiding Las Vegas on a 98-yard game-winning drive in a 22-20 win.
For a team still sorting out its quarterback pecking order, that kind of finish carries real weight. OConnell has been working to lock down the No. 2 job behind Kirk Cousins, and a poise-filled comeback drive in the preseason is exactly the sort of showing that can tilt a debate in his favor, even if the final call is still waiting to be made. [Read more 🡒]