Oakland Raiders Preseason Week 2: Winners and Losers

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Nov 30, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Brice Butler (12) catches a pass during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Oakland 52-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Brice Butler

With the injury to Andre Holmes and the very slow return of Rod Streater, the role of resident big guy in the Raiders receiving corps seemed to be up for grabs for Brice Butler, the 3rd year man and perennial preseason stud who has seldom seen the ball in games that count in his brief career. After a strong performance against the Rams while running with Matt McGloin and the 3rd string, it seemed Butler would have his day.

That said, Butler didn’t come out and see many snaps with Derek Carr and the #1 offense, Seth Roberts and Kenbrell Thompkins mostly seeing those reps alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. But Butler did come out with Christian Ponder and the #2’s and put together another solid performance: three targets, three receptions, 26 yards to lead the team in receptions for the second consecutive week.

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Roberts, a former UDFA who has impressed in camp for two years in a row but spent last year on the practice squad, got more shine early: he was targeted three times and also carried the ball on an end around run. Roberts made one great play on a 39 yard catch and run, but he also dropped a deep ball from Carr that hit him right in the hands while he had a full yard or two on Minnesota’s cornerback.

Butler may not have the speed of Roberts but one thing Butler has done is get open and catch the ball when it’s thrown to him in live games, consistently. It will be interesting to see if Butler gets more chances to work with Carr going into the Arizona game, where his larger frame might make him an asset to Carr while working against one of the NFL’s more talented secondary units.

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