Oakland Raiders: 5 Players To Watch In First Preseason Game
By Kevin Saito
Aug 2, 2015; Napa, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders players stretching at training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The troubled but talented undrafted free agent – formerly of Auburn, Arkansas State, Louisville, and Arkansas Baptist College – has been one of the surprises of training camp thus far. Filling in when Trent Richardson had to sit out the first few days of camp – not because of weight issues as many have reported, but because of pneumonia symptoms – Dyer excelled.
His talent has never been a question mark. At Auburn, Dyer broke Bo Jackson‘s rushing mark for freshman with 1,093 yards on just 182 carries. In the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, Dyer ran for143 yards and earned Offensive Player of the Game honors.
But trouble soon followed and he was released from his scholarship at Auburn, but never could shake his character issues and never managed to get back on track. However, Dyer has since, cleaned up his image, and after being out of football for a little while, managed to get a tryout with the Raiders.
And he’s making the most of his opportunity.
He is pushing Richardson for a roster spot to back up Latavius Murray thanks to his standout performance in camp thus far. Like Richardson though, he is going to have to win the job with an excellent performance in the preseason.
With Murray not likely to see much action against the Rams, look for Richardson and Dyer to get the lion’s share of the carries as they battle it out for a roster spot.
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