Oakland Raiders: 5 players that need a better game vs. Los Angeles Rams

The Raiders have made it a point to get better at tight end this offseason. They added former Green Bay Packers tight end Jared Cook into the fold with the likes of Lee Smith and Clive Walford. Oakland also has a guy trying to make the 53-man roster in Gabe Holmes. It did not go over very well for the former undrafted Purdue Boilermaker.

Holmes had two catches for a yard and a fumble against Arizona. The ball he coughed up was on one of backup quarterback Connor Cook‘s best passes. Cook had been able to get the offense going a bit in the ground game in the second half, but that fumble by Holmes was brutal. It took any momentum the Raiders hoped to have on offense and threw it to the wayside.

Keep in mind that Holmes has yet to record any stats in an NFL game in his first two seasons in the league. He was promoted off the practice squad in his rookie year in November 2015. An ankle injury suffered in the preseason last year led to another season where Holmes failed to make an impact at the next level.

Making this team with Cook, Smith and Walford at tight end was going to be difficult for Holmes any way. While he could have a shot in special teams, he did not make the most of his opportunities against the Cardinals on Saturday. He was outplayed by both Smith and Walford last week versus Arizona.