Oakland Raiders' Toughest Roster Decisions After Preseason Week 4
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is faced with some tough roster decisions when finalizing the 53-man roster for the September 5 deadline.
You can overlook the score in Thursday night's 31-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 of the preseason, which mostly featured reserves battling for a job. Del Rio looked for players capable of adding depth to his starting unit.
Some of the potential backups made the decisions easy, for better or worse, while others put themselves in contention for expanded roles.
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Here are some of the issues Del Rio must tackle within the next 24-to-36 hours.
Matt McGloin vs. Christian Ponder
The competition between Matt McGloin and Christian Ponder became a one-sided battle as the weeks progressed.
McGloin outplayed Ponder in three of the four preseason games and put an exclamation point on the debate Thursday night against the Seahawks.
Both quarterbacks had to work with a subpar offensive line, but McGloin still managed to move the ball up and down the field. He did much more with less in comparison to Ponder.
McGloin (16-24, 186 yards, 2 TDs) displayed skill and poise despite his sieve of an offensive line. Ponder, (7-11, 99 yards) a former first-round draft pick with mobility, failed to overcome a poor performance from the same poor line protection.
The Raiders must avoid the Mark Sanchez effect.
The New York Jets kept 40-year old quarterback Mark Brunell as Sanchez' primary backup between the 2010-11 seasons. The players knew Brunell would never overtake Sanchez, which meant that there was no pressure on the starter to perform with such complete job safety.
Ponder isn’t 40 years old, but he’s barely fit to hang onto the No. 3 spot and doesn’t present a threat to Carr’s job. There’s nothing more motivating than someone right behind you working just as hard to take your position. McGloin’s moxie and production throughout the preseason made this decision very easy.
Michael Dyer: Practice Squad or Active Roster?
Undrafted running back Michael Dyer will likely fall short of a roster spot. According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged 2.8 yards per carry coming into Thursday’s game. He added 12 carries for 17 yards and a late goal-line touchdown against the Seahawks.
Dyer showed flashes of potential throughout the preseason but flourished most during training camp sessions. At best, he'll continue to sharpen his skills on the practice squad.
By default, Roy Helu should hold on to the primary backup position at running back, with gadget player Taiwan Jones behind him at No. 3.
George Atkinson III vs. Devon Wylie at Kick Returner
George Atkinson III excelled over the past two weeks as a kick returner, likely carving out a niche on special teams. He returned two kicks for 46 yards against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 and followed up with another 70 yards on kick returns against the Seahawks.
His top competition, Devon Wylie, contributed 81 kick return yards on three kickoffs but falls into the too-little-too-late category. Wylie signed with the team on August 18 but didn’t see any action against the Vikings or Cardinals, which left very little time to leave his mark on special teams.
The Raiders need T.J. Carrie at 100 percent for the entire season with such a shaky group of cornerbacks and cannot risk him returning punts. Atkinson and Jones should assume return duties for the regular season.
Sio Moore: What’s Next?
The Sio Moore saga could go in many different directions. Del Rio dropped another nugget to reporters after the Seahawks game when asked about Moore’s abbreviated role on defense.
CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair shared a telling quote from the Raiders head coach via Twitter:
"JDR on Sio Moore's low amount of defensive snaps: "players get what they earn."
— Scott Bair (@BairCSN) September 4, 2015"
Did we all miss something here?
Moore logged his first snaps on defense almost midway through the fourth quarter, as observed by San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur:
"LB Sio Moore in on defense for first time this preseason, with 8:50 left in fourth game
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 4, 2015"
Up until that point, Moore played on special teams exclusively. Based on Del Rio’s quote, that’s all he earned.
Why’s that? Poor practice routine? Poor attitude? Locker room chemistry? We can only speculate, but Moore’s future in Oakland seems murky. The roster options for the third-year linebacker range from a surprise cut to a place on special teams for the immediate future.
This predicament seems illogical for a player who accumulated 7.5 sacks over the last two seasons, which indicates inner turmoil unknown to the general public. Moore has decent value, which makes a surprise cut even more shocking and a trade more probable in a rational way of thinking, but no one knows for sure.
Then again, is it a case of tough love? Is the coaching staff challenging Moore to buy into the program and start from the bottom? If so, why him specifically?
This situation leaves more questions than answers. Saturday’s deadline could shed some light on the linebacker’s immediate future with the team.
Who’s Slot Receiver?
Del Rio’s forthcoming decision concerning the No. 3 wide receiver position didn’t get any easier with Seth Roberts' breakout performance Thursday night.
The undrafted wide receiver caught seven passes for 110 yards and made Ponder look adequate at quarterback on the final offensive drive. Roberts led all wideouts in receiving yards (133) prior to Thursday's game and edged Brice Butler as the Raiders' most productive receiver during preseason.
Butler developed a rare case of stone hands as he anticipated a hit from a defender but still finished with four catches for 62 yards. According to Pro Football Focus’ analytics, Butler ranked as the best receiver through three games, which has likely changed after Roberts' latest performance.
Nevertheless, his streak of productive preseasons continues with his third consecutive once since 2013.
Rod Streater caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks. His stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but it might feel like a monkey off his back after battling an illness early in training camp.
Past history would suggest that Streater will get the spot, but Del Rio doesn’t weigh his decisions so much on prior merit. That said, the coaching staff knows Streater’s capability when the games count—something they can’t say about Roberts.
However, Roberts dominated the reserves and deserves a look as the primary slot receiver thanks to his momentum heading into the regular season.
Finally, Butler has done what Roberts did for the last three years as a peak preseason performer. Previous coaching staffs have overlooked his talents, despite flashes in exhibition games.
Though it’s overdue, expect an expansion in Butler’s role in the new regime. As Del Rio said about Moore, players get what they earn, and Butler has certainly earned more reps.
This is a good problem to agonize over, considering Carr’s weapons last year. Del Rio can’t go wrong, regardless of his decision with the talent vying for the spot.
Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for Raiders news and updates.
All statistics are provided by ESPN.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted. Raiders roster cuts and transactions provided by Raiders.com. Preseason game statistics provided by NFL.com.
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