3 Uncomfortable Truths From the Raiders’ Preseason Finale

The preseason curtain has closed, and real football is finally within reach. But before turning the page, one more storyline demands attention: with roster cutdown day looming, this finale carried real weight for players still fighting for a job. Here are some initial reactions to the Las Vegas Raiders’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Seeing the starters feels like a bad omen for the Raiders

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but seeing the Raiders play almost all of their starters for most of the first quarter against San Francisco’s mostly backup lineup seems like a bad sign.

That did not feel normal for the third preseason game. It would be one thing if both teams had agreed to play their starters for a drive or two. But that did not appear to be the case. Instead, it felt like the 49ers were confident in what they’d seen from their players. The Raiders, meanwhile, still had things to work out.

It didn’t help that the Raiders failed to dominate the first quarter, either. The defense looked solid, as expected, even without Maxx Crosby. The offense, however, moved the ball but failed to finish either of its two drives with a touchdown. To be fair, it was a more vanilla offense, and Ashton Jeanty was out nursing an ankle injury. Still, one has to wonder if this is a sign that expectations should be tempered heading into the regular season.

Speaking of the offense…

Jack Bech is cooked…

The second-year receiver out of TCU had another game where he looked like a non-factor. Bech caught his only target for a five-yard reception, despite playing a healthy 20 snaps. At this point, he is clearly behind Tre Tucker (3 catches on 3 targets in 15 snaps) and Jalen Nailor (2 catches on 4 targets in 18 snaps). Right now, it feels like he is battling rookie Malik Benson for the third receiver role. Benson has flashed with his athleticism, but Bech has the advantage of being the only bigger-bodied receiver in the Raiders’ room.

At this point, expect Bech to get used in most three-receiver sets. He could also see some two-receiver packages that call for bigger personnel. That is not a great spot for a former second-round pick heading into his second season. It’s even worse when you consider that Las Vegas doesn’t really have a true No. 1 receiver, unless you count tight end Brock Bowers. Depending on what veteran wide receivers become available over the next week, don’t be shocked if Bech gets moved before the season opener.

Finally, let’s wrap up with an observation from the later portion of the game.

The Raiders should have held on to Sincere McCormick

With Jeanty out, we got a long look at the group in contention for the third running back spot behind him and Mike Washington Jr. It was not an impressive showing. Dylan Laube is a backup third-down back at best. Dare Ogunbowale is a career camp body, and Roman Hemby needs a year on the practice squad.

On the other side of the ball, we got to see a former Raider carry the ball in McCormick. The box score may not show it, but he looked solid despite playing behind a terrible offensive line. He turned a couple of runs that should have gone for losses into positive yards and was reliable in pass protection. McCormick simply looks more like an NFL back than anyone else currently on the Raiders’ roster, beyond Jeanty and Washington. If he ends up getting cut by the 49ers, Las Vegas should consider giving him a call.