Raiders' Zeke Masses had near-perfect bounce-back game against the Texans

The Las Vegas Raiders' secondary is a young group that will go through some bumps and bruises. With most of the cornerback and safety room having played fewer than five years in the league, and many under two, play will be inconsistent at times. Fans need to be patient with their development.

Raider Nation saw this at full blast during the first preseason game. The young defensive backs struggled in man coverage and gave up multiple touchdowns during their debuts. In Week 2 of the preseason, they needed a bounce-back performance to regain confidence on the football field.

One of the players who struggled was Hezekiah Masses, the training camp sensation. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Masses gave up three receptions on three targets for 25 yards. He consistently got beat in one-on-one coverage and didn’t live up to the buzz surrounding him.

Against the Houston Texans, though, fans saw the player who was getting hyped up at camp. Masses almost pitched a shutout with four targets and only one reception. The one catch went for a single yard and had the same passer rating allowed as if every ball was thrown to the ground: 39.6.

Las Vegas' coaching staff has to be excited about his ability to bounce back.

Raiders' Zeke Masses shined in multiple coverages for near-perfect game

What fans saw from Masses was everything that was shown on his film in college. He was solid in zone coverage and read plays quickly. He left CJ Stroud with no options on the play below, understood the concept, and forced him to throw the ball away.

Man coverage is where he thrived throughout the game, though, which was a pleasant surprise, considering that's where he struggled most in the last contest.

Masses stayed locked on receivers for most of the game. An area that scouts weren’t used to seeing from Masses was his physicality. Being an undersized cornerback coming out of the University of California, he made a great tackle on one of his targets.

Masses made comments about his tackling ability during training camp, and it is clearly a point of emphasis for him this season. It showed itself in the game against the Texans. He is looking to quiet doubters by displaying that he can play bigger than his size.

If Masses can continue to grow, the Raiders could have a young core that grows together for years to come. When you add in the better performances from Jermod McCoy and Treydan Stukes as well, it should have Raider Nation for the future of the defense overall as well.

Hopefully, the players will continue to develop into the starters that John Spytek envisioned.

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