Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players that can earn a spot against San Francisco

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 14: Linebacker Tanner Muse #55 and quarterback Nathan Peterman #3 of the Las Vegas Raiders walks off the field after the team’s 20-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 14, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players that can earn a spot against San Francisco

Tanner Muse – LB

Tanner Muse was a surprise top performer during training camp and there were reports that he was a starter in team scrimmages. Some of the unofficial depth charts released even had him listed as the starter ahead of Nick Kwiatkoski, so suggesting that he must play well to lock down a roster spot may not be 100% true.

Instead, what Muse can do against San Francisco is potentially lock down a starting position thanks to a combination of solid play and injuries to other linebackers.

Nicholas Morrow went down with an ankle injury in practice and Javin White suffered an apparent knee injury against Los Angeles, but the severity of both injuries has not been revealed. Morrow was listed as the potential starter next to Cory Littleton in the Raiders base defense and White had been showing flashes of his potential before the injury.

Now the door opens for Muse to either be the third linebacker or the starter in a nickel defense due to his speed and coverage ability. Gus Bradley has always preferred a heavy rotation so the player listed as the starter may not ultimately matter but it is a testament to Muse’s hard work and ability that he has gone from not playing in 2020 to being a potential starter in 2021.

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