Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette (20) is shown during an off-season practice at the Raiders practice facility in Henderson Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021 | 3:59 p.m.
On the Raiders’ second drive of Sunday’s preseason finale at San Francisco, they faced a 3rd-and-8 in their own territory. Quarterback Nathan Peterman dropped back and fired a back-shoulder throw to wide receiver DJ Turner that, predictably, fell incomplete.
It was a low-probability attempt that would have required pinpoint accuracy and expert timing between the quarterback and receiver. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams could have pulled it off. Derek Carr and Darren Waller could have made it work. Not so much Peterman and Turner.
That play served as a microcosm for how Jon Gruden approached the preseason finale. Las Vegas’ coach said after last week’s preseason game that he would use the final exhibition strictly to evaluate the back end of the roster, and that’s exactly what the Raiders did on Sunday.
An instant analysis of what transpired:
Arnette shows up
None of Las Vegas’s starters played, but one of last year’s starters made an appearance as cornerback Damon Arnette showed pretty well in pass coverage.
The second-year cover man smothered Deebo Samuel on an inside slant on the 49ers’ first drive and broke it up, narrowly avoiding a hook-and-pull penalty on the play. On the ensuing drive, San Francisco tested Arnette again on an out route, but he drove on the ball quickly and batted it down at the catch point.
The 2020 first-round pick was atop the depth chart at one outside cornerback position last season and struggled through most of the campaign, weighed down by poor performance and injury concerns. Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock signed veteran Casey Hayward to assume the starting corner job, but Arnette’s play on Sunday has to boost their confidence in the depth of the secondary.
Ragas pulls ahead at RB?
One of the position groups with a decision looming is running back, where the Raiders probably have room to keep one of Trey Ragas or B.J. Emmons. They’ve both looked solid in training camp and two preseason games but on Sunday it was Ragas, the University of Louisiana product, who made the better case for himself.
Ragas was workmanlike in the running game, gaining 39 yards on nine carries, and he also presented himself as a viable pass-catching option by pulling in three of four targets for 15 yards.
Emmons, meanwhile, got seven carries and managed just 11 yards. He caught one of two passes for 10 yards.
With a backfield headed by Josh Jacobs and Kenyon Drake and augmented by fullback Alec Ingold, there is probably only one spot available. Ragas may have claimed it with his work against the 49ers.
Tough debut for Deablo
The Raiders have been waiting to get a live look at rookie linebacker Divine Deablo, who missed a chunk of training camp and the first two preseason games due to a knee injury, and they got their opportunity on Sunday. The results were mixed.
The Virginia Tech product was not only making his NFL debut, he is also in the midst of making the transition from college safety to pro linebacker. It showed, as Deablo didn’t always take good angles in the box—especially on a 35-yard touchdown run by JaMycal Hasty in the third quarter.
It wasn’t a roaring success as far as debuts go, but Deablo finished with eight tackles and succeeded in getting his first taste of NFL competition.
Final score
Oh, and San Francisco won, 34-10. Bring on the regular season.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
