Receiver makes big impression in Raiders' final preseason game

Antonio Pierce told the Raiders’ backups who suited up for the team’s final preseason game Friday that they should use the opportunity to show they belonged in the NFL.

Tyreik McAllister took the coach's message to heart. The 26-year-old receiver showed out against the San Francisco 49ers, keying a resilient effort that saw the Raiders eke out a 24-24 tie by virtue of a 43-yard field goal by kicker Daniel Carlson with 16 seconds to play.

McAllister scored Las Vegas’ first points with a 81-yard punt return in the second quarter where he used his speed to go untouched, and hauled in 56 receiving yards off of two catches.

“It felt good just going out there and making plays," McAllister said afterward in the locker room. "Everyone knew this was going to be a big game for us, the younger guys that were playing in the game. We wanted to leave our best impression in the last game.”

McAllister led the team in receiving yards until the late game-tying drive where undrafted rookie free agent receiver Ramel Keyton had a pair of long receptions to finish with four receptions for 76 yards.

McAllister and Keyton were the first two names Pierce mentioned in his post-game news conference when asked whom stood out to him.

“We’ve been seeing it in practice but today he took it to another level," Pierce said of McCallister, "(He) took one to the crib and (had) a hell of a catch and adjustment there on the reception…He moved the needle tonight.”

McAllister's first reception was a 35-yard touchdown grab from undrafted rookie quarterback Carter Bradley in the third quarter. McAllister adjusted midair to snag the ball before cornerback Samuel Womack could get to it, and then blazed past the defender for the score to give the Raiders their first lead at 17-14.

San Francisco regained control of the game with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Josh Dobbs to Jacob Cowing on its next possession, but McAllister wasn’t done. He got the Raiders into a first-and-goal situation early in the fourth quarter by securing a 21-yard deep ball from Bradley.

Las Vegas stalled at the eight-yard line from there with Bradley throwing a fourth-down interception to San Francisco cornerback Darrell Luter on a fade route to put a damper in its comeback chances.

That was one of four turnovers on the night with each team committing a pair.

Las Vegas got a takeaway from San Francisco’s starting offense when third-year cornerback Sam Webb deflected a Brock Purdy pass picked off by a diving second-year safety Chris Smith, who then returned it for 31 yards.

McAllister’s second catch down to the 8-yard line came right after undrafted rookie free agent safety Phalen Sanford recovered a fumble. Sanford jumped on a loose ball caused by undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard ripping a pass out of 49ers running back Patrick Taylor’s hands.

Those weren’t the only depth defenders who had big moments against San Francisco as three defensive linemen — third-year tackle Matthew Butler, second-year tackle Byron Young and second-year edge rusher Charles Snowden — had a sack. Snowden added two more quarterback hits, and might have been the disruptive player on the field except for undrafted rookie free agent linebacker Amari Gainer who led the team with 11 tackles including one for a loss near the goal line.

Gainer, a University of North Carolina product, might be in the running for one of the Raiders’ final defensive roster spots.

"It was good film," Pierce said of the game. "It was good to see those guys compete until the very end.”

McAllister might be a long shot to contribute offensively this season, but he could make the team based on his special-teams prowess.

The University of Charleston (W.Va.), a Division II program, graduate was a successful kick returner in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season. McAllister had originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and served on the practice squad.

"I put the hard work in, had a lot of hard times coming from the Denver practice squad and having to go to the CFL but I believe I have the skills capable to play at this level,” he said

Kristian Wilkerson and/or Jalen Guyton were expected to be the final receivers on the Raiders’ initial 53-man regular-season roster, which must be submitted to the NFL by 1 p.m. Tuesday. Wilkerson played well against the 49ers with three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown while Guyton had three catches for 19 yards.

But they might both now be threatened by McAllister. Pierce and the Raiders’ coaching staff utilized the shifty 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver who played running back in college and the CFL relatively frequently throughout training camp and increased his work load in the preseason finale.

McAllister made the most of the opportunity, just as Pierce requested.

“When I first got here, they told me they wanted me to play full-time receiver and I hadn’t done that since I was in college my freshman or sophomore year so it was a little difficult," he said. "You could tell…but I just continued to put my head down and grind and just get to where I’m at.”

Despite his efforts, the Raiders finished the preseason winless at 0-2-1. They kick off the regular season at 1:05 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Los Angeles Chargers.

It's still probably a long-shot, but McAllister just might be the player back deep tasked with returning the opening kickoff.

“He’s got some juice," Pierce said. "He came from the CFL and played running back, never really played wide receiver. You can see that transition in the offseason program, and I thought he did a hell of a job in training camp quietly.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or