Oakland Raiders: 7 Things To Watch For In Second Preseason Game

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May 26, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Trent Richardson (33) catches a pass at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. What About The Back Up Gig?

A lot has been made of the fact that Trent Richardson – this season’s reclamation project – seemingly missed a huge, gaping hole in the line that would have allowed him to stroll into the endzone, and instead, ran headlong into a massive pile up that saw very minimal return. Some argue that he did the right thing in following his lead blocker – who missed his block badly. And others argue that he lacks the vision on the field that would have allowed him to see that enormous hole.

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Whichever way you slice it though, Richardson is still very firmly in the mix to be the primary back up to Latavius Murray. He didn’t have a particularly bad game against the Rams, but he didn’t do anything spectacular either. What happened is that UDFA Michael Dyer, who took Richardson’s spot while he battled illness through the first few days of camp, and performed exceedingly well, catching the eye of the coaching staff, didn’t really show up to play against St. Louis.

Dyer had just 11 yards on five carries – a dismal 2.2 yards per carry average – and did nothing to distinguish himself from Richardson. He had the opportunity to stake a claim to the back up spot and came away empty. Roy Helu – whenever he is ready to play – and Taiwan Jones are going to be terrific change of pace and pass catching backs for the Raider offense, but Oakland is still trying to determine who will be the primary back up to Murray.

The good news for both Richardson and Dyer is that they are still on a relatively even playing field, so they both still have every opportunity to win the job. Neither did a particularly good job against the Rams, so it will be interesting to see if either can step up to the challenge and separate themselves from the other against Minnesota.

Next: 2. A Second Round Bust Already?

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