Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players to keep an eye on during the 2021 preseason

Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players to keep an eye on during the 2021 preseason

Johnathan Abram, Safety

We are entering Year 3 of the Johnathan Abram experience, and after an injury, in his first game, as a rookie forced him to miss the rest of his rookie season, he was back in a starting role in 2020. What the Raiders got from Abram in 2020 were mixed results.

Abram had a ton of hit-and-miss plays that resulted in plenty of blown coverages and leaving his fellow safety alone on an island more times than a few last seasons, as he pressed on to rush the quarterback or jump the play a bit too early. Entering 2021, the Raiders have revamped the secondary in a major way in fact, one of the rookies, Tre’Von Moehrig has the inside job to start at free safety next to Abram.

But Abram’s position to start is not set in stone, as the Raiders brought back former first-round pick Karl Joseph after a stint in Cleveland. Joseph is not a stud but is a solid player who will make fewer mistakes than Abram, or at least what Abram has so far shown us.

The Raiders are amping up the fact that Abram is learning more under newly acquired veteran cornerback Casey Hayward, and has a newfound maturity level. There is plenty to be seen in the status of Abram, but watching his play in the preseason is must-watch TV.

Has Abram matured and become a more patient player? Or will we see more of the same mistakes this season? It is yet to be seen, but preseason is certainly the place to start in terms of who is the real Johnathan Abram.