Thursday night wasn’t exactly the debut that the Las Vegas Raiders were hoping for. While the preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks ended in a tie, the Raiders played their starters and looked sloppy during the first half, heading into the locker room down 16-3. The team as a whole was disappointing, but there were a few individual performances that are worth highlighting for this week’s winners and losers.
Adams didn’t join the team until the beginning of training camp and is playing a new position, converting to a full-time linebacker. However, you wouldn’t know that had you just watched Thursday night’s contest. He was flying around and constantly around the ball, recording three tackles in the first half. Also, the former defensive back showed the ability to get off blocks, which is an area of concern for his transition to the second level.
Overall, Adams was the Raiders’ best linebacker in Seattle and might start pushing for a starting spot if he keeps it up. In fact, he led the team with an 89.8 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus.
A strong argument could be made that O’Connell was the Raiders’ biggest loser against the Seahawks. He threw two interceptions against backup defenders, one of which was a terribly underthrown ball to Dont’e Thornton Jr., who had a step on the corner and could have scored with an on-target pass.
On top of that, Cam Miller looked sharp by completing six of seven passes for 76 yards and a 41-yard touchdown throw, as Miller could fall into the “winner” category. If O’Connell isn’t careful, the rookie might take his spot and earn backup duties behind Geno Smith.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 22: Kyu Blu Kelly #36 of the Las Vegas Raiders walks off the field following the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) Getty Images
Las Vegas is looking for answers at cornerback, especially after trading away Jakorian Bennett earlier in the week. That opens up a roster spot in the secondary, and Kelly made a strong push for it in Seattle. He had a perfectly timed hit to break up one pass that would have gone for a first down, then came up with a PBU to prevent a third down conversion and recorded a defensive stop in coverage.
All of that resulted in the third-year pro earning the second-highest PFF defensive grade (83.6) on the team. Not bad for a guy who is fighting for a roster spot.
On a similar note, the Raiders are looking for depth at linebacker and that gives Jones a chance to make the team. However, he had a rough showing Thursday night, missing a tackle and giving up a couple of completions in coverage for 29 yards, per PFF. That resulted in an ugly 35.2 PFF grade, which isn’t ideal for a guy who is fighting for a roster spot.
Laube had a tough rookie year and entered training camp on the roster bubble, but he did everything that was asked of him in Seattle. The second-year pro recorded a receiving touchdown, had 34 yards on five carries (6.8 ypc) and recorded a tackle on the kickoff team to pin the Seahawks inside the 10 yard line. Also, while he only had three snaps in pass protection, he won every rep and earned an 81.8 PFF pass blocking grade.
To be fair, some struggles are expected for Grant since he’s making the jump from the FCS to the NFL and is viewed as a project. That was evident in the first preseason game as it looked like he was spinning, giving up four pressures on 29 snaps in pass protection, per PFF. Grant wasn’t terrible in the running game, but he also wasn’t much of a factor with a 60.2 mark in that department.
Jackson was the Raiders’ leading reciever in Seattle, coming down with four catches, 76 yards and a touchdown. The score came via a nasty double-move route (seen below) where he shook the cornerback and broke open for a 41-yarder. Considering the offense could use some depth at wide receiver, that’s a pretty good night for a guy on the roster bubble.
Tasi didn’t pickup football until 2024 and played in his first game Thursday night, but that was hard to tell with how he played. Granted, the Samoan-Australian only took 13 snaps, however, he managed to earn the highest PFF offensive grade (84.6) on the team. Tasi didn’t give up any pressures and made a couple nice blocks in the running game for an impressive debut.