What to watch for in the Raiders’ preseason finale

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Raiders volition beryllium successful acquainted territory to adjacent retired their preseason connected Sunday. They play the San Francisco 49ers successful their archetypal travel backmost to the Bay Area since moving to Las Vegas past year.

Whatever nostalgia the juncture holds volition mostly beryllium contained to the sidelines.

The wellness and well-being of astir of the Raiders’ Oakland holdovers is excessively important to taxable them to imaginable wounded successful a meaningless game. That’s wherefore Derek Carr and Darren Waller and Maxx Crosby and truthful galore others volition beryllium spectators alternatively than participants.

Nevertheless, for galore players connected the Raiders’ roster, the crippled has profound implications. Sunday represents a last accidental for a fistful of players connected the bubble to authorities their lawsuit for inclusion connected the last 53-man roster.

With Raiders decision-makers inactive sorting retired rotational roles, it’s a accidental for players to enactment their champion ft forward.

Here are respective players with thing to prove:

LBs Divine Deablo, Tanner Muse

Deablo, a third-round prime from Virginia Tech, was yet cleared to signifier this week and volition marque his Raiders debut connected Sunday.

What was expected to beryllium an easing-in play has turned into a warp-speed process, though. The Raiders’ linebacking corps took a monolithic deed implicit the past 2 weeks, with a ft wounded to Nicholas Morrow and a genu wounded to Javin White shelving some players for an extended period, and an undisclosed wounded to Nick Kwiatkoski sidelining him the past 2 weeks.

As a result, Deablo and second-year linebacker Tanner Muse person an accidental to carve retired meaningful roles with beardown performances connected Sunday.

“I consciousness similar there’s decidedly an accidental there,” Deablo said. “I’ve got a batch of crushed to cover, that’s the lone thing. I’ve got to summation the coaches’ trust. I conscionable person to bash my occupation astatine the extremity of the day.”

The Raiders are anxious to get a look astatine Deablo, who is making the modulation from assemblage information to NFL linebacker.

“He’s not wherever helium needs to beryllium successful the walk concepts yet, but we similar the accomplishment set,” Raiders antiaircraft coordinator Gus Bradley said. “The large question volition be, ‘OK, present the squad wants to run. Is helium going to beryllium capable to utilize his velocity connected the perimeter but besides successful the mediate to get disconnected blocks and marque plays?’”

OTs Brandon Parker, Jaryd Jones-Smith

The Raiders are acceptable connected their starting violative enactment with LT Kolton Miller, RT Alex Leatherwood, LG Richie Incognito, RT Denzelle Good and C Andre James.

And arsenic they hold for the instrumentality of Incognito, who suffered a calf strain during a associated signifier with the Rams, they consciousness bully astir backup defender John Simpson and halfway Nick Martin if they person to play. Martin besides has played guard, truthful helium mightiness beryllium capable to screen some defender and center.

But it gets dicey down the 2 tackles, with neither Brandon Parker nor Jaryd Jones-Smith distinguishing himself. It volition beryllium absorbing to spot who from the backups really plays. That volition awesome who the Raiders privation to get 1 past look astatine earlier deciding who to support connected the roster.

“We inactive person different crippled present to marque those decisions, but we consciousness bully astir the extent close present connected the violative line,” violative coordinator Greg Olson said.

Others to support an oculus connected are Jeremiah Poustasi, Patrick Omameh and Devery Hamilton.

RBs Trey Ragas, B.J. Emmons

With Jalen Richard inactive retired with a ft wounded that could compromise his availability for the play opener, rookies Trey Ragas and B.J. Emmons each person an accidental to assertion a spot connected the 53-man roster and a relation arsenic the third-round back.

“Yeah, we got to spot much of them really,” Olson said. “It’s a bully contention betwixt those two.”

Ragas, an undrafted escaped cause from Louisiana, has been awesome arsenic a runner and blocker and mightiness person the wrong track. But Sunday volition beryllium important for some helium and Emmons, an undrafted rookie escaped cause from Florida Atlantic.

“We similar wherever some of them are, but truly Trey Ragas has opened our eyes present successful these archetypal mates of games, and successful practices we’ve liked what we’ve seen,” Olson said. “So helium has a small spot amended grip connected it close now, but they’re some 2 good, young developmental backs that we look guardant to moving with.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore astatine vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore connected Twitter.