The Las Vegas Raiders were able to overcome a rough start in their first preseason contest and come back to earn a tie against the Seattle Seahawks. The game was far from perfect, as expected, but it showed the team what they have to work on, and there is still roughly a month to iron things out.
Already covered are the strong performances of Alex Bachman and Jamal Adams, as well as rookie Cam Miller outplaying backup quarterback Aidan O'Connell. Here are five more winners from the Raiders' first live action of the year, as well as five losers.
5 winners and 5 losers from Raiders first preseason game
Winners
1. Tyree Wilson
Wilson may not have lit up the box score with just two tackles, but he made several nice plays on Thursday evening and was seemingly always in the right spot. The powerful third-year player lined up at defensive tackle and defensive end, which may end up being the perfect blend for him in 2025.
2. Tonka Hemingway
Hemingway lined up exclusively at defensive end against Seattle after being drafted as a defensive tackle. His speed and athleticism were fully on display, as he made three tackles, batted down a pass and was the first Raider in the backfield on a botched Drew Lock snap. With Wilson rotating on the interior, Hemingway could find himself in an important role this season.
3. Dont'e Thornton Jr.
Thornton got off to a rough start with a drop on his first NFL target, but more important was that he shook himself open and got his feet inbounds. He made a nice catch to make up for it, and would have had a walk-in touchdown if O'Connell hadn't wildly underthrown him.
4. Kyu Blu Kelly
After initially feeling like Kelly was on the outside looking in for the Raiders' cornerback room, the third-year pro made a serious case for himself against the Seahawks. He had two tackles in the game, but more importantly, he flexed his ball skills with two pass break-ups and was sticky in coverage.
5. Dylan Laube
Laube was the most hyped player at training camp last year, but that never translated into preseason success. This year, however, he has obviously taken another step. Not only did he break off a 24-yard rush and finish with 6.8 yards per carry, but he caught a six-yard touchdown pass and was a star on special teams. He made a tackle in kickoff coverage and had two 10-yard punt returns.
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Losers
1. Tackling
The Raiders looked like a team that had not practiced any live tackling during training camp. While almost every player was guilty of a bad angle or missed tackle, players like JT Woods, Darien Porter and Jeremy Chinn were the worst offenders, as they failed to set the edge and gave up big plays.
2. Jonah Laulu
Laulu entered the game with plenty of hype as the replacement for Christian Wilkins, but he did not live up to expectations in his first outing. Not only did he not record a single tackle or stat, but he failed to get any inside push, and he had two defensive holding penalties on the same drive.
3. Ashton Jeanty and the early-team run-blocking
Jeanty had one rush for three yards with the first-team offense, and then things quickly fell apart. He ended up with three rushes for -1 yards, and neither Zamir White or Sincere McCormick were able to find many holes either, as they ran for 13 yards on five carries in total.
4. Matt Jones
Jones was getting more run with the second- and third-team defenses than Amari Gainer, and he looked a bit out place. He missed a handful of tackles and was in the wrong spot in coverage, forcing him to dive for a pass break-up when he was out of position and giving up unnecessary yards after the catch.
5. Offensive line depth
Young players like Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers did not look too impressive during their debuts, as they were unable to pave any lanes for the run game and they kept getting pushed back into Aidan O'Connell on passing downs. Thayer Munford Jr., a veteran, did not impress either, which is a bit worrisome for the offensive line.