Edwards: 5 Raiders to watch in 2024 preseason finale (2024)

The Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff and front office have one last chance to evaluate their roster Friday night.

The preseason comes to a close for the Silver and Black as they host the San Francisco 49ers in Allegiant Stadium. Following the preseason finale, it will be time to buckle down and determine who will be on the initial 53-man roster and practice squad.

"I told these guys, they have a great opportunity for themselves competing for a roster spot," Antonio Pierce said Wednesday. "And really, it's just not for the Raiders, it's the entire National Football League because we know that we're not going to have everybody on the roster. There will be other opportunities on practice squad or other teams, so they're competing in front of everybody. This is a big week for them, and I think it's really critical for some of the guys that we're going to play that might have two or three years in league as well to prove that they can take that next step."

With a little over 24 hours until the Raiders kick off, here are five players to keep an eye in Friday's game.

Brittain Brown

Brittain Brown came into training camp fighting an uphill battle to stake his claim in the backfield.

The 2022 seventh-round pick got off to a fast start in the preseason of his rookie campaign which played a factor in him making the 53-man roster. He appeared in six games his rookie season and then was forced to sit out the entirety of the 2023 season due to injury. He returned a running back room with Zamir White taking over as lead back and Alexander Mattison and 2024 draft pick Dylan Laube now added into the mix.

While it may be a crowded room, Brown has found ways throughout training camp to shine on a few carries and earn reps on special teams. He's averaged 3.6 yards a carry this preseason, which is the third-most of all running backs on the roster.

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Kristian Wilkerson

The Silver and Black are still in the process of rounding out their receiving corps, with one or two spots still up for grabs behind Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. While none of those receivers are expected to suit up Friday, it could a chance for Kristian Wilkerson to show what he's got.

The SE Missouri State product signed with the Raiders in May of 2023 and emerged as a top target in camp. Last preseason, he led the team in catches (17) and receiving yards (188), propelling him to make the initial 53-man roster and appear in two games. Wilkerson is back in the same boat coming off another exceptional camp this year. So far, he's totaled four catches for 34 yards in two preseason appearances. The upcoming matchup will give him one last opportunity in a competition against the likes of Jalen Guyton, Terrell Bynum and Ramel Keyton for a role.

"Kristian Wilkerson has done a good job," Pierce said. "But there are some other guys that have really stepped up, even in practice. And sometimes you get in the game, and it doesn't work out that way where the receiver catches the ball, and everybody says, 'Oh, he didn't do anything.' But there's a lot of opportunities that you see in film. We've gotten 1,000 team reps of situational football to evaluate these players. And obviously, we're very talented in that room with Davante and Jakobi and Tre Tucker. That fifth and sixth spot and those guys on the practice squad are going to be very vital for us."

DJ Glaze

DJ Glaze really has nothing to lose, but everything to gain with an exclamation point performance against the 49ers.

The 2024 third-round pick has taken camp by storm, filling in at times for a banged-up Thayer Munford Jr. and capitalizing on first-team reps. While Munford is still expected to be the starter, Glaze has translated his good days at practice onto the field. He received an 80 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus against the Dallas Cowboys last Saturday and has put himself in position to start in the preseason finale.

"He doesn't get fazed by anything," said offensive line coach James Cregg. "He's not relaxed, but it's not too big for him which is good to see. Usually rookies sometimes get overwhelmed, it becomes too big for them and for him it's not that way. It's just his demeanor. That's just his personality. I've been really pleased to see him and it's been great to have him step up. I know he's going to keep getting better as he keeps getting more reps."

Amari Gainer

Over the past two weeks, Amari Gainer has really stepped up.

The UDFA from North Carolina moved all around the front seven in college as a edge rusher and an off-ball linebacker. In his short time with the Raiders, he's honed in on making plays on special teams and tends to gravitate toward the ball on defense. With Tommy Eichenberg held out with an undisclosed injury, Gainer seen more reps. He's currently the Raiders' highest-graded player this preseason by PFF (89.9) and has notched five total tackles and two pass deflections.

"Amari did a really good job. He's a physical, pretty-looking linebacker, man," Pierce said following Gainer's first preseason game. "He can run and he just needs more reps at linebacker. He's played all over the place in college. Once he gets his feet settled, playing off the linebacker, he'll give himself a chance."

Byron Young

With Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins and Adam Butler, the Raiders have a lot of promise at interior defensive line. However, the main concern among that unit is depth. Byron Young gets another opportunity Friday to show he could be a main player in the rotation.

The 2023 third-round pick appeared in six games last year and has been putting in the work this offseason. The second-year lineman has been one of the better run stoppers for the defense, with hopes of that continuing in the preseason finale. A good lasting impression will also do him well as he's competing for rotational reps with Nesta Jade Silvera, Matthew Butler and Marquan McCall.

"He's in better shape. It's the strain, it's the finish, it's the nastiness and it's the style of play which is a real thing," defensive line coach Rob Leonard on Young's progression. "I don't care if you're in perfect position to make the play, you've got to make the play. ... He's come back in better shape, he understands what the expectation is and he's worked his butt off."