Nick Nelson
The Raiders entered training camp with a much improved cornerback group, making preseason play essential for certain guys to crack the 53-man roster. With Gareon Conley, Lamarcus Joyner, Trayvon Mullen, and Daryl Worley among cornerbacks who are almost guaranteed to make the roster, that leaves Nick Nelson on the roster bubble, fighting for a final spot.
The Raiders used Nelson quite a bit last season at slot corner, however, with the addition of Joyner, slot cornerback is the least of their worries at this time. Even when Nelson saw a significant workload in the slot last season, his production was nothing that stood out by any means.
So far throughout the preseason, Nelson has only seen live action in the second preseason game, where he recorded two solo tackles against the Arizona Cardinals. He’ll likely see some extended time this week against the Green Bay Packers, since Gruden noted he’s not to fond of playing his starters much more this preseason.
Nelson must utilize every opportunity he gets over the next two preseason games, so he can showcase why he belongs on the final roster. Nelson brings some fine qualities, but last season he committed an abundance of holding and pass interference calls that wound up hurting the team many times. Keep Nelson on your list as someone to keep an eye on over the next two weeks.