Stock Risers:
Tre Tucker
Whether it was the offseason training regiment, the LASIK surgery, or the expected improvement from a second-year receiver, Tre Tucker looks like a different player this year. Despite the reports from training camp that he was having trouble holding onto the football, he has yet to drop a ball in the preseason contests. In fact, he has made a few difficult catches and is a big play machine both on offense and in special teams, recording a 48-yard catch and a 43-yard punt return against the Cowboys.
DJ Turner
Turner is another player who is almost unrecognizable from a year ago. The strides he has made on the offensive end are unbelievable, as he made multiple impressive plays, leading the team on Saturday with five catches. His ability to make moves after the catch is notable as well, and he is still a stud on special teams, recovering a muffed punt early in the contest.
Nesta Jade Silvera
Silvera is a stock riser simply because his odds of making the roster increase with every snap that his young DT counterparts continue to be ineffective. While he was not dominant in this game, he made two very good run stops against a Cowboys offense that seemingly ran the ball at will up the middle against everyone else the Raiders put out there.
Silvera is one of the heavier players on the roster which gives him the ability to fill in for John Jenkins and plug holes, so he might have the highest current odds of making the roster as the fourth DT.
Stock Crashers:
Aidan O’Connell
I hate to pile on O’Connell at this juncture because it has been a tough weekend for him between the devastating pick-6 and being named the backup QB. But I have to acknowledge that his play has just not been up to par for a starting quarterback in the NFL, especially for a team that wants to be a contender.
It’s not that Minshew severely outplayed him, but AOC did not show any real improvement this offseason which is discouraging for a player with so much room to grow. His career is far from over and it would not shock me to see him later this season, but for now, he needs to work on his own shortcomings before he can help the Raiders.
Gardner Minshew
Yes, he was named the starting quarterback, but no, that does not make his stock automatically more valuable. Minshew is as good as he is, and perhaps if that dangerous throw he made had been intercepted and returned for a touchdown, the QB depth chart would be flipped. But that is neither here nor there, he is the starting quarterback for the Raiders. In fact, the team can win games with him.
(Surprisingly) David Carr said it best at halftime, that Minshew just did not look like himself in that first half. He is not known for his pinpoint accuracy but it’s rare to see him overthrow wide open receivers. The pressure of the battle seemed to be getting at him because almost nobody can target Jakobi Meyers four times without completing a pass to him. Now that he has the starting job and can settle in with a full crew (Davante Adams and Brock Bowers did not play Saturday), I think he will do just fine.
DT Depth
As I mentioned earlier, the run defense has been porous for the Silver and Black through two preseason games. A large component of this is that when the starting unit is taken out of the game, there is nobody to fill the gaps at defensive tackle because none of the young players have stepped up.
Silvera has been the most noticeable, but Byron Young, Matthew Butler and Marquan McCall have been invisible through two preseason games. Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler, and John Jenkins may end up being enough this season, but the hope is that SOMEONE steps up and stands out for the future. But we continue to wait.