The Las Vegas Raiders started their preseason with a competitive game against the Minnesota Vikings, losing by a narrow margin but showcasing strong performances from their wide receivers and quarterbacks. This game was notable for the offensive output, with wide receiver DJ Turner making significant plays.
However, their second game against the Dallas Cowboys was less successful, resulting in a 27-12 loss. This game highlighted issues with quarterback performance and pass protection, despite some bright spots like Tre Tucker's punt returns and massive play where he caught a deep ball.
Now, they are set to face the San Francisco 49ers in their last preseason game before they face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. In this next game, we won't see the starters, but better yet, the guys who are fighting for a job, or as we call them, roster bubble guys. On Saturday, against the Cowboys, there were players who both won and lost their jobs.
We have gone over the guys who have lost their jobs , now let's go over some guys that, with their performances on Saturday, may have won a job or saved their jobs.
Three Raiders who saved their jobs vs. Cowboys
QB Gardner Minshew
Let's start with the most obvious one of them all. And, if we are being honest, this has nothing to do with how he played, because Minshew honestly played pretty poorly. However, he did win the job because O'Connell did play worse with that pick-six against the Cowboys' third-stringers.
Minshew didn't have great ball placement on some of his throws, and boy when he overthrew a receiver, he overthrew them. However, what won him the job was the effective deep ball he showed on more than one occasion.
WR DJ Turner
Turner was in contention for that wide receiver four spot, behind Davante Adams, Jakobie Meyers, and Tre Tucker. But, he was battling for that spot with Kristian Wilkerson. Because of Wilkerson not playing the best during the preseason, and Turner being arguably the second-best receiver during the preseason with Meyers and Adams either not playing or barely playing, Turner won the job.
Turner has also shown to have a good rapport with Minshew, and plays special teams, whereas Wilkerson does not.
TE Harrison Bryant
The two starting tight ends for this team really aren't a question. It's Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers, in no particular order. But, there was a battle for that third spot, which we will probably see more in this offense than any other offense. And, on Saturday against the Cowboys, I feel like Bryant pretty much saved and locked up that TE3 spot.
He had the touchdown, and a few huge catches to convert third down. That, combined with the amount of crucial snaps he played is why he saved his job.
Related: Three Las Vegas Raiders players who lost their jobs after preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys
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