Raiders get last look at players against 49ers before final cuts

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — More than a third of the Raiders’ roster never stepped foot on the plane from Las Vegas to San Jose on Saturday, which is all anyone needed to know about how coach Jon Gruden viewed the final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Little surprise then that the Raiders easily succumbed to San Francisco 34-10 in a game that featured plenty of 49ers starters through the first two quarters and exclusively Raiders backups and bubble players.

The goal, first and foremost, was to get through the game as healthy as possible. And achieving that meant making sure starters and key rotational players stayed away from Levi’s Stadium.

Not that Sunday’s game, which gave the Raiders a 2-1 preseason record, was meaningless. It was the final opportunity for a bunch of young players to sway decision-makers before Tuesday’s cutdown to the final 53-man roster.

Some observations from the game:

Good days for Arnette, Robertson

In a perfect world for second-year cornerbacks Damon Arnette and Amik Robertson, Sunday would have been a day better spent watching from Las Vegas or the sideline.

But with each player coming off shaky rookie seasons and not distinguishing themselves as core players, they were on the field trying to make lasting impressions.

Both had strong outings with some big plays.

Playing against the 49ers’ starting offense, Arnette had two pass breakups in which he was challenged in one-on-one situations.

Robertson flashed in pass defense, run support and special teams while forcing two first-half incompletions and coming up with six tackles, including throwing Trey Lance for a 4-yard loss.

The ride hasn’t always been smooth, but Robertson said he compartmentalized last year’s struggles and tried to grow from them.

“I put last year behind me and tried to learn from last year and kind of look at it in a positive way,” he said. “I didn’t really get too involved in it. At the end of the day, I know who I am and what I can do.”

Conspicuous

While the Raiders kept starters and key reserves at home and dressed a handful of players for emergency use only, it was a bit conspicuous that wide receiver John Brown played.

It would indicate Brown might be in a fight to salvage a roster spot, certainly a surprise given his veteran status, the $3.5 million he was paid in March and where the Raiders thought he slotted in their plans

It also means Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards have shown enough to lock up starting jobs.

With Ruggs, Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones and Willie Snead likely locks to make the team, Brown is in a fight with Keelan Doss, DJ Turner and Dillon Stoner for the sixth and potential seventh roster spots.

Stoner had a nice catch for 29 yards on a scoring drive in the second quarter and added a 32-yard grab in the second half while finishing with three catches for 69 yards. The undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State has practice squad potential if he doesn’t land a roster spot. So does Turner, an undrafted free agent from Pittsburgh.

Been awhile for McCoy

After a ruptured quad tendon injury wiped out Gerald McCoy’s 2020 season with the Dallas Cowboys, the six-time Pro Bowler had to fight for a camp opportunity. The Raiders extended an offer, and after being minimally active in the past few weeks, he finally let loose in practice last week and made his Raiders debut Sunday.

McCoy showed enough burst, athletic ability and power in the first half to vault himself into contention for a role in the defensive line rotation. It was his first game action in 20 months.

“Knocking the rust off felt good,” McCoy said. “I was just back in my element. After a while, it was just like, instead of thinking about it, I was just like, let’s go.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.