It was crunch time for so many of the players on the Las Vegas Raiders' roster during the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. With roster cutdowns looming and only 53 guys certain to stick around, if that, a strong performance was needed for those on the bubble.
And while some players did themselves a favor and perhaps staved off their mortality in Las Vegas, even for maybe a week longer, others failed to rise to the challenge. The NFL is such a "what have you done for me lately?" kind of league that the final impression may matter the most.
So, here are four players, two on offense and two on defense, who were on the roster fringe but may have played their way off the team with a rough outing against the 49ers. Their fates aren't sealed yet, but things could definitely head there, depending on how the coming days unfold.
4 Raiders who may have played their way off the roster in preseason finale
1. Ian Thomas, TE
Thomas played 29 offensive snaps against San Francisco, and he did little in the way of making a positive impact, despite the opportunity. He totaled just two catches for nine yards on four targets, flat-out dropping the other two passes that came his way.
To be fair, Thomas is mainly penciled in as the third tight end because he has a reputation for being a good run-blocker and special-teamer. But he turned in a below-average run-blocking grade from PFF and atrocious marks for pass-blocking and passing offense. Las Vegas could sign someone else.
2. Deven Thompkins, WR
Thompkins flashed at several points during training camp and made some plays in the preseason opener. But on Thursday, he caught just one pass for 18 yards in 17 offensive snaps, 15 of which were pass plays. Thompkins also logged one rush for zero yards.
He did break a 32-yard return, and in all, Thompkins ran back three kickoffs for 84 yards, and that 28.0 yards per return isn't awful. But he just doesn't do enough offensively to warrant a roster spot, and Thompkins is pigeonholed as a returner on special teams. It's hard to see where he fits in anymore.
3. Segun Olubi, LB
Olubi was thought to be a shoo-in at the beginning of the offseason, but he didn't make a sound case to stick around at any point this preseason. In the finale, he logged 13 defensive snaps and made zero tackles while notching the worst PFF grade of any Raider who played in the game.
In 10 coverage snaps, he was targeted three times, giving up two catches for 26 yards. Olubi did make a nice play on the other ball thrown his way, and both Cody Lindenberg and Tommy Eichenberg struggled against San Francisco as well. But Olubi is on thin ice in Las Vegas as it stands now.
4. Cian Slone, DE
Before Raider Nation comes after me, remember that this article is about players who may have played their way off the roster, not players who I don't want on the team or don't think should be. But if Keyron Crawford didn't look destined for an IR stint, then Slone may be the odd man out in this room.
Not only did he miss a tackle on defense and on special teams, but when dropping in coverage, Slone gave up two sizeable completions. Obviously, there is a lot to work with here, and Slone has shown tons of promise. There's a lot of good tape on him. The hope is that it's enough to outshine Thursday.
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