Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
The Las Vegas Raiders will kick into another gear on Saturday when they play the Minnesota Vikings in their first preseason game.
Head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters that he expects all his players to suit up for preseason action, which adds to the anticipation of the first outing.
While everyone on the roster should prepare to take the field in the next three weeks, six players stand out because they’re competing for starting positions, could carve out bigger roles than many of us expected, or need to show up after underwhelming stretches through training camp.
We’ll highlight which Raiders to keep an eye on during Saturday’s contest and what’s at stake for each player going into the 2024 season.
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No one needs to tell the fanbase how important it is for Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew to put their best foot forward on Saturday.
Up to this point, neither O’Connell nor Minshew has taken a significant lead in the quarterback battle, which has raised concerns about the overall offense going into the preseason.
Raider Nation Radio 920AM’s Q Myers noted that Minshew stacked a few solid practice performances, but he hasn’t done enough to clearly separate himself from O’Connell:
In some cases, the Raiders defense deserves credit for disrupting the offense, specifically with takeaways.
However, Minshew and O’Connell have had issues with accuracy and ball placement, which is on the quarterback.
Last year, O’Connell played well in the preseason, throwing for three touchdown passes while completing 69.4 percent of his pass attempts, and Minshew is a six-year veteran who should be able to break down vanilla defenses in exhibition games. Both have a chance to gain some momentum on Saturday.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders: 5 biggest roster questions as 2024 training camp gets underway
Rookie third-rounder DJ Glaze has been a pleasant surprise at training camp. He’s filled in admirably for Thayer Munford Jr., who’s dealt with a hand injury, and held his own when lining up with the starting offensive line.
Head coach Antonio Pierce praised Glaze for his ability to stand his ground with the first and second units and play on both sides of the offensive line.
“What’s unique about him is we can put him at right tackle and then switch him with the very next group … and put him at left tackle, and he doesn’t flinch,” Pierce said to reporters. “He’s not shying away from some of our better players. You see him going up against Maxx (Crosby) and Tyree (Wilson) and Malcolm (Koonce), and he’s holding his own. He gets beat sometimes because he’s going against some really good players, but what you see is a consistent player.”
Antonio Pierce on DJ Glaze
At Maryland, Glaze played both tackle positions, and thus far, his experience has translated on the pro level against bonafide starters.
Going into training camp, Glaze seemed like the potential swing tackle, but his performances over the last week give him a chance to push for the starting right tackle spot if Munford cannot play because of his hand injury or struggles with the first unit.
With Kolton Miller (shoulder surgery) and Munford recovering and banged up, Glaze may have to be ready to start at right or left tackle at a moment’s notice. He’ll get much-needed live snaps on Saturday.
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Dylan Laube has been one of the stars at training camp. He could make a strong statement against the Minnesota Vikings in the first preseason game.
Laube probably isn’t a threat to Alexander Mattison, who’s set to split early-down touches with lead running back Zamir White, but he could make 31-year-old Ameer Abdullah expendable.
Typically, the No. 3 running back on the depth chart is a change-of-pace ball-carrier or the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield and contributes on special teams. With similar skill sets, Laube and Abdullah could find themselves in a battle for that spot. The Raiders can also keep both players, which would allow the rookie to learn from the 10th-year veteran.
Nonetheless, if Laube has an electric preseason debut, he would have a good chance to carve out roles on offense and on special teams, regardless of Abdullah’s status with the club.
On Saturday, look out for Laube in the short passing game and on kick coverage.
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Remember to take preseason depth charts with a grain of salt. That being said, Jakorian Bennett looks like he will have the first shot to solidify a spot in the starting lineup opposite cornerback Jack Jones in the secondary.
The Raiders listed Bennett with the starters over his primary competitor for the contested boundary cornerback job, Brandon Facyson.
According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Bennett has put together a series of quality performances at training camp and took full advantage of Facyson’s absence last Monday.
The Raiders will return most of their starting defensive unit from last year, though the open cornerback spot is the biggest question mark on that side of the ball.
Bennett can fill a void and help complete what may be a top-tier defense in the upcoming season.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders: 3 players who could transition from backup to starter during the 2024 season
Unlike last season, Tyree Wilson is healthy, but he hasn’t made significant strides in his second offseason.
In one of his early training camp observations, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur wondered if Wilson would make any impact in the upcoming campaign.
“Wilson was the seventh pick in the 2023 draft, and the defensive end may have a hard time getting on the field this season,” Tafur wrote. “He still has trouble getting off the ball at practice and though he is happier and healthier, according to Pierce, the bar has been lowered quite a bit.”
Vic Tafur on Tyree Wilson
Defensive tackle Adam Butler said via Tafur that Wilson is taking “baby steps” in his development.
Though Butler also said that Wilson has shown some growth, you ideally want your top-seven pick from a year ago to take more than incremental steps toward becoming an impact player in his second year.
With an underwhelming showing at practices, Wilson must get off to a good start in the preseason, or he could lose snaps to Janarius Robinson or someone else if the Raiders decide to sign another veteran edge-rusher.
Keep in mind that Wilson has to make the most of his opportunities behind Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce on the edge and probably in sub-packages on the interior.
Maurice Moton covers the Las Vegas Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
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