The Oakland Raiders are going to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in 2019—win or lose. There's a reason why the silver and black were selected to star in this year's series of HBO's Hard Knocks.
Jon Gruden returns in his second season with the Raiders since returning to the coaching ranks in 2018. In his first season back, Oakland mightily struggled, finishing with a 4-12 record.
This offseason, the Raiders brought in Mike Mayock to become their new general manager and the organization began bringing in players that fit Gruden's play-style. Gruden loves hard-working players who can help the team win football games.
The first move that Mayock made as the new GM was trading for the disgruntled wideout, Antonio Brown. The Raiders would also add Tyrell Williams in free agency to add more weapons around Derek Carr. After all, Carr is in a crucial season before the team makes the move to Las Vegas in 2020.
Brown has been in the headlines for an injury to his feet and an issue with his helmet in the past week. Who knew that having frostbitten feet wouldn't be the craziest thing that is associated with Brown during training camp.
Regardless of the drama, Raiders got their preseason schedule underway on Saturday against the reigning NFC Champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Gruden was content to see his team come out on top 14-3.
Here are the three biggest performances from the Raiders preseason opener versus the Rams.
3. Arden Key (2 Tackles, 1 Sack)
Getting after the quarterback will be crucial to the Raiders success in 2019. In 2018, the team only managed to get 13 sacks (last in the NFL). Furthermore, they had 17 fewer sacks than the second-least team in the NFL last year.
During the Raiders exhibition debut, the Raiders only had one sack as a team. That one sack came from Arden Key, who figures to be a rotational pass-rusher for Oakland this season.
Key was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Raiders out of LSU. As a rookie, Key started in 10 games but only tallied one sack, four tackles for loss, and 11 hits on the quarterback.
Against the Rams on Saturday, Key flashed his impressive speed to get around the edge and sack Brandon Allen. Gruden would love to see more of the same for Key as the preseason progresses.
2. DeAndre Washington (6 Carries, 24 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards)
The Raiders drafted Josh Jacobs with the 24th overall pick in this year's draft in hopes to have their workhorse running back. As it currently stands, the Raiders are seemingly deep at the running back position entering the 2019 season.
Further down the depth chart, DeAndre Washington is scratching and clawing to try to make it onto the Raiders active roster. Along with Washington, Doug Martin and Jalen Richard are competing for jobs in the offense as well.
In their preseason opener versus the Rams, Washington carried it six times for 24 yards and a score on the ground. Washington also tacked on two receptions and 21 yards in the passing game.
The Raiders drafted Washington in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Washington will likely see a ton of opportunities in the preseason, which bodes well for his chances of earning a role for the Raiders in the upcoming season.
1. Nathan Peterman (9-12, 66 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Rushes, 56 Yards)
This may be the first and only time you'll see Nathan Peterman as the top performer in any game. Gruden said he was beginning to become a fan of Peterman and we may have seen why on Saturday night.
The former Buffalo Bills quarterback completed nine of his 12 attempts for 66 yards and a touchdown. To everyone's surprise, Peterman also showed off his wheels to rush for 56 yards on three carries.
The majority of Peterman's rushing yards came on one play where Peterman turned into Michael Vick and eluded defenders to get a 50-yard gain. It was baffling to watch Peterman take off to run it and the Rams defenders looked dumbfounded.
During his tenure with Buffalo, Peterman was notorious for turning the ball over and making a copious amount of mistakes. In four career starts, Peterman has thrown 12 interceptions and two fumbles under center.
Maybe all Peterman needed was a change of scenery to show his worth in the NFL.
There's also a chance that this performance was just a one-time occurrence.
Follow Us
Subscribe