The Las Vegas Raiders had a hard time getting going on Thursday evening in their first preseason bout under head coach Pete Carroll. The Seattle Seahawks looked a bit more prepared and experienced, which they are, but the Raiders have plenty of promising pieces to build on.
After a rough first half, the team was able to fight back into the ballgame and eventually tie it up late in the fourth quarter. A quick stop gave the team a chance to win, but they were thwarted by a blocked field goal as time expired.
Fortunately, the third-team offense really showed some signs of life and gave Raider Nation a ton to feel good about as the contest wrapped up. Buried in the notes about how the first two groups and Cam Miller performed, however, was a bit of Silver and Black history staying alive.
Bo Jackson's greatnephew, Shedrick Jackson, goes off in Raiders debut
On Thursday evening, wide receiver Shedrick Jackson lit up the box score and made several great plays down the stretch of the game. Jackson is the great-nephew of legendary Raiders running back Bo Jackson, who had an iconic but too-short career with the franchise in Los Angeles.
Shedrick Jackson caught four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks, including a 41-yard house call on a sluggo route from Miller. He also worked back toward the ball and hauled in a clutch 20-yard catch on the sideline during the final drive of the game.
Jackson played collegiately at Auburn, just like his great-uncle did, but had an underwhelming amount of production in five seasons. He hung around on the end of the Cincinnati Bengals' roster in 2023 and 2024 after going undrafted, but has zero catches in five NFL appearances.
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This offseason, however, he seems to be finding his stride with the Silver and Black, as members of his family tend to do. He led the Raiders in both catches and receiving yards against Seattle and scored one of the two touchdowns for the Las Vegas offense.
If he continues to turn in strong performances like this, Jackson could really shake up the wide receiver battle and even sneak onto the roster. The team needs players to step up behind Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech.
Veteran wideout Alex Bachman already did, and Phillip Dorsett turned in a good performance, but players like Collin Johnson and Tommy Mellott failed to make an impact on Thursday. Jackson could easily find himself in a tight battle with Bachman and Dorsett for a spot in the Raiders' receiver room.