McDaniels, Raiders move to 3-0 in preseason with win at Miami

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 | 7:05 p.m.

It wasn’t exactly a star-studded affair, as both teams chose to sit most of their starters, but there was still plenty to be learned as the Raiders topped the Dolphins in Miami, 15-13, in the penultimate preseason game.

Second-string quarterback Jarrett Stidham started — Derek Carr and the rest of the Raiders’ stars never left Las Vegas — and completed 7-of-10 passes for 80 yards, while rookie running back Zamir White (five carries, eight yards) scored the Raiders’ only touchdown. Daniel Carlson provided the go-ahead score via a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders are 3-0 in the preseason under head coach Josh McDaniels. The team will now move on to a series of joint practices with the New England Patriots this week in Las Vegas, leading up to the exhibition finale on Friday against McDaniels’ former team.

A look at some of the biggest developments out of Saturday’s game:

Blocking concerns

The only Las Vegas starters to play on offense were the right side of the offensive line, which is worrisome because that’s precisely where the issues stemmed from in the first half.

Quarterback Jarrett Stidham was under constant pressure on the first drive, as right guard Lester Cotton was beaten for a sack and right tackle Alex Leatherwood allowed two pressures. Stidham kept his cool, however, and led the Raiders to the goal line, and Cotton got a bit of redemption by helping clear a path for rookie Zamir White on a 3-yard touchdown run to open the scoring.

There was no such absolution for Leatherwood. The former first-round pick was dominated by the Dolphins pass rushers on a snap-by-snap basis to the point that Josh McDaniels looks like a genius for not allowing Derek Carr to play in the preseason so far.

Leatherwood’s worst sequence came early in the second quarter, after Nick Mullens subbed in for Stidham. On back-to-back plays, Leatherwood was pushed back into Mullens’s lap, causing an incomplete pass, and then he was dusted off the edge and barely laid a finger on Miami end Porter Gustin as he roared in to sack Mullens.

Leatherwood ended up playing into the fourth quarter, and while he settled down some against the Dolphins third-stringers and soon-to-be free agents, his performance in the first half is a continuing cause for concern. The Raiders need a right tackle.

Receivers battle for final spot

NFL teams have to narrow down their rosters from 85 players to 80 on Tuesday, and while receivers Tyron Johnson and DJ Turner might both survive that round of cuts, it’s unlikely there is going to be room for the two of them on the Raiders’ final roster. That makes every preseason snap extra meaningful for them as they jostle to make the team.

On Saturday it was Johnson who made the better impression, as the third-year speedster hauled in a team-high four receptions for 32 yards (he was also targeted a game-high seven times). Two of Johnson’s catches came on the opening drive, which produced the Raiders’ only touchdown of the game.

Turner popped last week against the Vikings with a long touchdown catch-and-run, but took a backseat against the Dolphins. The 5-foot-9 jitterbug wasn’t targeted in the passing game until the fourth quarter, when he caught a short crossing route and bounced between defenders to pick up 17 yards. He also got a touch in the running game, taking an end-around for seven yards in the first quarter.

Butler makes his case

McDaniels once again didn’t suit up any of his projected starters on defense (save for safety Johnathan Abram, who played in the first quarter), and that gave rookie linebacker Darien Butler an opportunity to make an impression.

Butler splashed immediately, as he shot into the backfield on Miami’s first play from scrimmage and tackled running back Chase Edmond for a loss. The undrafted free agent from Arizona State finished with four tackles, and just two weeks out from the regular season it appears he has a real shot to stick on the final roster.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.