Seahawks at Raiders: 2021 Preseason Game No. 1 Studs and Duds
Studs
Raiders Wide Receivers
In the last couple of seasons, the Raiders wide receivers have struggled to collectively contribute to the team. They haven’t had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since they traded Amari Cooper to the Cowboys in 2018, but this group is hoping to turn that trend around.
Neither Bryan Edwards, Henry Ruggs III, or Hunter Renfrow played against the Seahawks, but the rest of the wide receiver group did some work. Zay Jones only played about two series and made two amazing catches down the field, and one almost ended in a touchdown. He finished with three catches for 57 yards.
Keelan Doss was open pretty much all game, ending up with six catches for 55 yards, and continued his push to keep being a part of the Raiders receiving core. Undrafted rookie D.J.Turner, who has blazing speed, not only handled the punt and kick returns in the first half, but he had the most receptions of the night with seven for 43 yards.
If this is what the offense looks like without the starting wide-outs, I can’t wait to see how Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs perform this season.
Javin White
The undrafted rookie out of UNLV played pretty much the entire game on Saturday, sometimes subbing out so Tanner Muse could get some burn, and he performed extremely well. The Raiders linebacker depth is looking really good after this game, as White was flying all over the field, going sideline to sideline showing his speed.
White finished with six total tackles five of them were solo, but more importantly, he looked like he was playing freely and letting the game come to him. If that’s how players like Littleton and Morrow will play once the regular season starts, the outlook for this defense improves significantly.
Trey Ragas
I had a ton of fun watching this game go from the Nathan Peterman show to the Trey Ragas show real quick, and I know I’m not the only one. Ragas was not only was great running the football against the Seahawks, finishing with 13 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown, but he also blocked well as a pass protector.
Ragas has a real shot to make the 53-man roster with the retirement of Theo Riddick and the injury to Jalen Richard. I’m pretty sure Ragas will get a ton of opportunities to play these next two games as the Raiders hope to keep Jacobs and Kenyan Drake fresh and ready for the regular season.