Oakland Raiders: Top 5 takeaways from Saturday’s preseason opener
By Justin Fried
The Oakland Raiders managed to secure a 14-3 victory in their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s game.
The Oakland Raiders kicked off their 2019 preseason on Saturday with a convincing 14-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Even though it was just the preseason, it sure was nice to see two things. It was great to see Raiders football back in full force and it sure was great to see them win a football game.
That’s something that only happened four times all of last season so we’ll take all the winning we could get. And with a much-improved roster going into the 2019 season, there will hopefully be plenty more winning to come.
The Raiders saw some players stand out and some falter. Either way, they certainly learned quite a bit about their current roster following their performance on Saturday.
With that, let’s take a look at the top five takeaways from Saturday’s preseason opener.
5. Alec Ingold is the new favorite to win the fullback battle
The Raiders have a number of position battles to keep an eye on this preseason. From wide receiver to tight end to edge rusher, there should be no shortage of positional competition this August.
But one roster battle that has flown under-the-radar — perhaps deservingly so — is the battle for the fullback job.
The competition this summer is between veteran Keith Smith and undrafted rookie Alec Ingold. And following Saturday’s victory, Ingold certainly made his best case to earn the roster spot.
The Wisconsin product hauled in four catches for 22 yards playing the part of a dump-off receiver in the flats. Ingold also showed his physicality and toughness serving as a lead blocker on a number of Raiders rushes.
With the incumbent Keith Smith still out nursing a knee injury, Ingold has been given a golden opportunity to win the starting job. The 23-year-old is younger, cheaper, and a more willing blocker — three things that should catch the eye of head coach Jon Gruden.
Most NFL teams don’t carry a fullback anymore, but Gruden has shown a willingness to retain one on the roster. And if the team does so again, it’s clear that Ingold is beginning to emerge as the favorite.