Oakland Raiders: 5 Players To Watch Against The Cardinals
By Kevin Saito
Aug 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Michael Dyer (40) rushes against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Coming into camp, there were many who overlooked Dyer, despite an impressive run while at Alabama. The problem was his many and varied off the field troubles that saw him out of the game of football altogether.
After unsurprisingly going undrafted, the Raiders opted to roll the dice on the talented but troubled running back. Most viewed him as a camp body, and a likely practice squad addition at best. He’s currently in the process of proving everybody wrong by showing that he can be a valuable contributor to the team’s offensive success.
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After opening some eyes during camp, Dyer had a terrible opening game against the Rams in which he did not perform and he did not produce. But since Trent Richardson did nothing to distinguish himself or seize the back up running back job, Dyer followed that up with a very solid game against he Vikings in which he ground out 45 yards on 12 carries.
Dyer ran with explosiveness and authority against Minnesota and has many believing he has the inside track to winning the job and becoming Latavius Murray‘s back up when the regular season starts.
The back up running back job has become and unexpectedly fierce position battle through camp with neither Dyer or Richardson maintaining a stranglehold on the job. Look for both backs to get significant reps against the Cardinals to see who steps up and who might be among the first wave of roster cuts on Tuesday.
Next: Returning To Form