Tag: Trey Taylor

Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 1 vs Vikings

Raiders who didn’t make a great impression in their Preseason opener vs Vikings

There were many standout performances for the Raiders in their preseason opener in Minnesota. These are the wrong kind of standouts.

Busters

T Andrus Peat 

The nice looking first drive was ended when Peat couldn’t keep Dallas Turner out of the backfield. First Turner laid a hard hit on O’Connell just after he released the ball. Then in third and goal from the three, Turner beat Peat again to sack O’Connell.

DT Byron Young

Young was abused on the first three plays he was in the game. He gave up a seven-yard run, then was blocked into the ground to give up the first down run, and then gave up a 16-yard run that only saved from being much worse because of a Tre’von Moehrig ankle tackle.

S Jaydon Grant

The defense bent but didn’t break on their first two drives. They broke on the third one. Grant was late getting over to give up a 48-yard touchdown run. The next drive, Grant gave up a 21-yard catch.

LB Luke Masterson

Grant was the last line of defense on that 48-yard TD run. Masterson was the first. That was his gap and he wasn’t there. The next drive, he came on the blitz on third and five but missed the sack to give up a nine-yard scramble.

RB Dylan Laube

Laube was twice needed to keep an oncoming rusher from getting to the QB, and both times failed to do so. He gave up two sacks on Brown. The second time, Laube was sent into a backward somersault. Laube had a total of eight yards rushing in the game and that came on a 13-yard run on third and 19. So, it was a give up play. On the other three runs, he had a total of -5 yards. His one return went for 16 yards and was stopped at the 19-yard-line.

QB Anthony Brown

From the moment he took the field, he looked out of his depth. He looked paralyzed, second guessing everything. Nothing looked smooth and he was unable to make corrections when things broke down. And they were breaking down. The first six plays featured no completions, two sacks and a delay of game penalty. In his four possessions, he had one completion for 24 yards, five scrambles for 13 yards, was sacked four times, and fumbled a snap.

S Trey Taylor

The Vikings scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter. The first saw Taylor give up a 15-yard catch on third and nine. The second, Taylor was caught peeking in the backfield as his man ran by him for a wide open 33-yard touchdown.

G Corey Luciano

Luciano gave up the second sack on Brown when he didn’t switch on a stunt. Then he gave up the third sack in the same fashion.

C Ben Brown

After the Raiders went down 21-20 in the third quarter, they failed to answer because Brown was flagged for holding and then on third and 21, while Luciano was not switching up on the stunt, Brown was literally ran right by the guy, blocking no one.

TE Zach Gentry

Twice in the third quarter Gentry was tasked with run blocking and gave up the stuff. The first for no gain. The second for a loss of four on third and goal from the one.

Also see the BALLERS…

Raiders winners and losers in 24-23 preseason defeat vs. Vikings

The Raiders preseason kicked off on Saturday with a loss to the Vikings. Who stood out the most for Las Vegas?

After a successful training camp, the Raiders finally got to hit someone besides their teammates on Saturday during their preseason debut against the Vikings. Surprisingly, the Raiders offense started faster than a Las Vegas defense expected to carry the club in 2024.

Quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew both saw first-half action, and the offense didn’t punt until after halftime. The defense played well for the most part but allowed the Vikings to convert too many big plays.

Here are the winners and losers for the week after our first look at the 2024 Las Vegas Raiders.

Winner: CB Jakorian Bennett

Cornerback Jakorian Bennett took the field as a starter after earning that right in training camp. The Raiders are looking for someone to take charge opposite entrenched cornerback Jack Jones, and Bennett made a big play to save the Raiders’ starting defense on the Vikings’ initial drive.

Minnesota drove to the Las Vegas 4-yard line, even as starters, including defensive end Maxx Crosby, were in the game. On 4th-and-2, Bennett showed impressive ball skills on a pass breakup in the end zone. There’s a lot of preseason left, but Bennett made further strides toward remaining a Raiders starter at cornerback.

Winner: CB Jack Jones

As the Raiders defense dominated in training camp, Jones was perhaps the most impressive player for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Jones showed he’s ready to make plays against quarterbacks besides his own with a skillful interception early in the third quarter.

 

Jones played exceptionally well for Las Vegas last season. But his sample size as a professional is relatively small, and the Raiders defense needs him to perform at a high level this year. So far, so good.

Winner: WR DJ Turner

Though coach Antonio Pierce chose to play his starters in Minnesota, wide receiver Davante Adams was with his family to welcome his baby boy to the world. That left extra opportunity for the Raiders’ wide receiver room.

Wide receiver DJ Turner took advantage, hauling in a 20-yard touchdown from QB Gardner Minshew in the second quarter.

Turner had a strong camp and he backed it up at his first opportunity. The depth chart is far from set at wideout after Adams, WR Jakobi Meyers, and WR Tre Tucker; Turner continued his path toward earning a role for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy this season.

Winner: WR Tre Tucker

Though Tucker is slated to be one of Las Vegas’ top weapons this season, the speedster has had issues dropping the football. He needs to prove he can handle a large role, especially with Turner performing well.

His 44-yard grab on a toss from Minshew put his skills on full display and helped quiet any doubts he’s up to the task. It would be nice to see Tucker catch the ball with his hands more than with his body, but he got the job done in preseason Week 1.

Winner: OC Luke Getsy

Getsy was fired last season as the offensive coordinator for the Bears, and his offense struggled during Raiders training camp. For a Las Vegas team trying to turn a corner and make the playoffs, Getsy must show he’s capable of directing this Raiders offense.

With O’Connell at quarterback to start the game, the offense went on a long, impressive field-goal drive after Bennett’s pass breakup in the end zone. For Getsy and everyone involved with the offense, it was likely a breath of fresh air and proof that they’ve made progress with Getsy’s new scheme. The Raiders offense enjoyed success the entire first half and didn’t have to punt until backup Anthony Brown Jr. entered the game.

Winner: Offensive line

The Raiders were without two starters on the offensive line, but their group still blocked well enough for the offense to find much-needed success. Both Thayer Munford Jr. and rookie DJ Glaze played well at offensive tackle. That’s a big boost for a Raiders team that needs at least one of those young players to hold down the right tackle spot in 2024.

Winner: QB Gardner Minshew

Minshew didn’t start, but he entered the game in the second quarter as Pierce planned. He led four drives compared to just one drive for O’Connell, however, and finished with 117 yards on 6-for-12 passing and a touchdown throw. He also scrambled for a first down.

The Raiders quarterback competition is far from over, but Minshew made the most of his opportunity and lopsided drive count compared to O’Connell.

Loser: QB Aidan O’Connell

In a kinder, gentler world, O’Connell would join Minshew on the winner list. He looked great to start the game despite starting his first drive of 2024 on the Raiders’ 4-yard line.

But Minshew had a touchdown throw and multiple splash plays. O’Connell had a chance to throw a touchdown of his own in his only drive of the game, but he was sacked on a 3rd-and-goal play as backup lineman Andrus Peat was beaten on the edge.

The Raiders QB competition is just heating up though. O’Connell appears on my loser list today, but he could very well win the job as Raiders starting QB by preseason’s end.

Loser: WR Kristian Wilkerson

Raiders wide receivers behind Tucker and Turner on the depth chart had a golden opportunity on Saturday with Adams’ absence. None of them took advantage. But WR Kristian Wilkerson got the start, and he likely wants a do-over on his one catch of the day, a WR screen that lost one yard.

Watching live, it appeared that Wilkerson made one move too many rather than cutting upfield and getting available yardage. Making matters worse, the Raiders only needed a few yards to gain a first down.

Loser: S Jaydon Grant

Safety Jaydon Grant missed a tackle on open space on a 48-yard touchdown run by the Vikings in the second quarter. Linebacker Luke Masterson missed his assignment on the play, but Grant was the last line of defense and he missed badly on his tackle attempt.

Loser: CB MJ Devonshire

Rookie cornerback MJ Devonshire had a rough first go as an NFL defensive back. He let a Vikings receiver go right past him for a 45-yard score in the third quarter. In his defense, he didn’t get any help over the top from safety Chris Smith II.

Loser: S Trey Taylor/big play defense

The Raiders allowed another big play later in the third quarter on a blown coverage in the secondary. It appears that S Trey Taylor was the No. 1 culprit on this one, but I’ve handed the entire Raiders defense part of this entry on the loser list for allowing too many big plays and 452 yards overall.

It’s just one game, but this week told us a lot about this season’s Raiders squad. The defense looks strong but has some issues to clean up, and the offense looks much better when Maxx Crosby isn’t terrorizing them. But as we know, the NFL is a week-to-week business. They’ll have to prove themselves again against the Cowboys next weekend in Las Vegas.

5 Raiders defensive position battles to watch in preseason opener in Minnesota

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from …

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from missing a beat.

With that in mind, here are the top five positions battles to watch when the Raiders take on the Vikings on Saturday.

Fan brings Kermit Mahomes puppet to Raiders camp, media tries playing instigator with Chiefs

Fan brings Kermit Mahomes puppet to Raiders camp, media tries playing instigator with Chiefs

The speed at which news travels these days is breakneck. Unfortunately, though, that is also true about false narratives. For instance a fan posted a video on twitter that showed Raiders safety Trey Taylor picking up a Kermit The Frog puppet wearing a curly wig and wearing a Patrick Mahomes jersey.

You know, because people have long said that Mahomes’s voice sounds like Kermit. It does. He laughs about it. It’s funny.

Taylor thought it was funny too. The 23-year-old rookie put the puppet on his hand and played with it a bit. And the media has utterly lost their collective minds over it.

It quickly became the Raiders who had the doll. As if it was theirs.

If Ari had actually looked at the timeline of the fan who posted it, he’d see where he shows that he brought it to camp.

But that would require work and it would ruin all the fun. Others quickly joined the party, calling it “the Raiders Kermit Mahomes doll” which is to imply it was players on the team who were responsible for it. And that it was “dumb”.

And why is it so dumb? Well, because it could provoke Patrick Mahomes and the champs.

And that’s fine, if you think Trey Taylor playing with the puppet was a bad move. He’s a rookie. A kid. He’s never donned a Raiders game jersey or been part of this rivalry.

The problem is the lie that the puppet belongs to the Raiders. And it isn’t just tweets telling it. At least one site put that blatant lie in an actual headline about it.

So, will Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs take the (click) bait and use this silly puppet as some kind of motivation in their games against the Raiders? Who knows. Maybe when you’ve won the last two Super Bowls you have to dig deep to find new motivations.

Seems to me their last loss coming to the Raiders on Christmas would be a much bigger motivation, so not sure this little puppet matters, really. But there’s sure a lot of folks in the media who *reeeeaally* want it to matter.

Raiders sign TE Brock Bowers, 5 other draft picks to rookie deals

Raiders sign 6 draft picks including top pick Brock Bowers

The days of the Raiders slow rolling out their rookie signings are over. One the eve of Rookie minicamp the team rattled off six of the team’s eight draft pick signings, starting with top pick tight end Brock Bowers and ending with their entire Day three haul.

Here’s what those signings and contracts look like:

Rd 1 (13) TE Brock Bowers — 4-year, $18.14M, $3.3M ’24 cap hit

Rd 4 (112) CB Decamerion Richardson — 4-year, $4.8M, $995K ’24 cap hit

Rd 5 (148) LB Tommy Eichenberg — 4-year, $4.35M, $879K ’24 cap hit

Rd 6 (208) RB Dylan Laube — 4-year, $4.175M, $834K ’24 cap hit

Rd 7 (223) S Trey Taylor — 4-year, $4.14M, $825K ’24 cap hit

Rd 7 (229) CB MJ Devonshire — 4-year, $4.13M, $822K ’24 cap hit

The only remaining signings to be announced for the Raiders are Day two picks Jackson Powers-Johnson (44 overall) and DJ Glaze (77 overall).

Which as quickly as they rolled these signing out, I’d expect the final two to happen before the rookie take the field on Friday.

5 interesting facts about Raiders Round 7 S Trey Taylor

Getting to know Raiders Round 7 S Trey Taylor

It seemed hard to believe the Raiders were able to land the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner in the middle of the seventh round, but they did. At pick 223, they ended the long way for Trey Taylor, making him their seventh selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

We know he was a tackle machine at Air Force, collecting 205 tackles over three seasons. Along with improving his interceptions numbers each year, literally going from 1-2-3 and adding a pick six and a blocked PAT last season.

Now let’s learn a bit more about him, beyond the stats.

  1. Football education early

Trey’s father Tyree played linebacker at SMU (1995-98) and was his football coach when he was a kid. So, Trey was learning football plays at the age of six. “At six years old he had me on the field studying film and I grew a love of football just out of that,” Trey said.

Trey’s father helped influence his decision to go to Air Force as well. With Tyree saying “If I had to do it all over again and I had similar offers, I would have gone to Air Force, and I wanted that for Trey.”

Tyree would get the chance to watch his son in a bowl game at the stadium of his college alma mater in 2021 when the Falcons faced Louisville in the First Responders Bowl at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

  1. Hall of Fame bloodlines

Tayler is cousins with Ed Reed, who is widely considered one of the greatest safeties to ever play the game and was a first ballot Hall of Famer. And Trey Frequently leans on Reed for critiques on his safety play., which he calls “essential” to his football career so far.

“It’s been nice to have somebody who gives me the best communication possible,” Taylor said of Reed. “He’s given me a lot of clues, a lot of details and things that I need going into this next chapter, in this next way of life, and I’m just happy to be here and happy to have him as somebody in my corner.”

  1. Why Air Force?

Trey got a lot of offers coming out of high school, including from several Ivy League programs like Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale. So, clearly he was an academic standout. But Taylor wanted more. Or what his father called “the trifecta” 

“You get to get a world-class education, you get to serve the country, and then you get to play high-level D1 football in the Mountain West conference.” Trey’s grandfather was in the Army and his great grandfather was in the Air Force.

“The Academy taught me a lot about myself,” Trey added. “It taught me a lot about who I really am, the maturity I have as a person, taught me how to grow, how to spread my wings and made me the person I am today. So, I give everything I got back to the Academy and what it’s done for me. I wouldn’t be here without it, so I’m really happy I chose that.”

  1. Lucky number 7

Trey wore the number 7 at Air Force. He also wore 27 at the East West Shrine Bowl. The first time he had a chance to pick a number was in youth soccer and he picked number seven, saying “It felt good on me.” And he’s stuck with it whenever possible ever since.

“Whatever team I get to, they can put me in seven, 17, 27, 37, 97, I don’t care,” he said before the draft. “If it has a seven, I’m happy.”

The number 7 for the Raiders is taken by another Tre – fellow safety (and Jim Thorpe Award winner) Tre’von Moehrig. So, Taylor picked the number 37 as his first NFL number.

  1. What’s in the box

Taylor played mostly free safety at Air Force. And while he said he can play deep as well as close to the line, he said he feels most comfortable up close, which is where you most often see the strong safety.

“I like being in the box,” said Taylor. “The box is where I feel the most comfortable. I feel like I can make more plays. I just like being closer to the ball. When they move me down, I feel like a little linebacker sometimes.”

Raiders rookies get their numbers, Zamir White gets new number

Zamir White gets new number, Raiders rookies get their numbers

The Raiders have assigned numbers to their rookie class. Here they are:

Draft class:

TE Brock Bowers – 89
G Jackson Powers-Johnson – 70
T DJ Glaze – 71
CB Decamerion Richardson – 21
LB Tommy Eichenberg – 45
RB Dylan Laube – 23
S Trey Taylor – 37
CB MJ Devonshire – 26

Undrafted:

G Clark Barrington – 64
QB Carter Bradley – 14
T Andrew Coker – 73
WR Jeff Foreman – 80
DT Tomari Fox – 60
DE TJ Franklin – 57
LB Amari Gainer – 53
CB Demarcus Governor – 44
WR Lideatrick Griffin – 81
G Jake Johanning – 63
WR Ramel Keyton – 82
C Will Putnam – 67
S Phalen Sanford – 42
DT Noah Shannon – 62
CB Ja’Quan Sheppard – 46
DE Ron Stone Jr – 76
CB Rayshad Williams – 36

Number change:

RB Zamir White – 3 (was 35)

New addition:

WR Michael Gallup – 10

White got his Georgia number after two years wearing 35 for the Raiders.

Many of these numbers will change by the time the season starts. Obviously not everyone will make the team and many of the numbers given out aren’t ideal for their position, but the number they wanted wasn’t currently available.

But these are the number the rookies will wear when they report to rookie minicamp and OTA’s.

Raiders 7th round S Trey Taylor says he brings ‘killer on the field’ instinct from Air Force academy to NFL

Raiders 7th round S Trey Taylor says he brings ‘killer on the field’ instinct from Air Force academy to NFL

With the draft in it’s final round, the Raiders were looking to add some intangibles to their team. To get it, they snapped up Trey Taylor out of the Air Force Academy.

In talking with Taylor after the draft, there was no question he has a good head on his shoulders and it serves him on the football field.

“The ability to serve while playing football and while studying at one of the most prestigious schools in America, like you can’t really pass up that opportunity,” said Taylor. “So, I’m glad I landed there. And the Academy taught me a lot about myself. It taught me a lot about who I really am, the maturity I have as a person, taught me how to grow, how to spread my wings and made me the person I am today.”

Taylor won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top safety. And he did so in part by being a big hitter. Evidenced by his 205 tackles over three seasons for the Falcons. That’s the energy the Raiders want him to bring with him.

“I’m a killer on the field,” Taylor added. “I have a different instinct when I get on the field and I brought that from the Academy, and I’m hoping to bring it onto this team. And I feel like there’s a lot of people who have the same mentality on that team. So, definitely ready to go take on that identity.”

That energy will help him right away on special teams as well. As a Navy man, I can get past him choosing Air Force for school.

Introducing Raiders 2024 Draft class

Introducing Raiders 2024 Draft class

The draft has come to a close and there are eight new Raiders in the house. This is the Raiders Draft class of 2024.

1. (13) Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
2. (44) Jackson Powers-Johnson, G/C, Oregon
3. (77) DJ Glaze, T, Maryland
4. (112) Decamerion Richardson, CB, Mississippi St
5. (148) Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio St
6. (208) Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire
7a. (223) Trey Taylor, S, Air Force
7b. (229) MJ Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh

The Raiders made no trades up or down, preferring to stick at their original draft spots for their eight selections.

While they went all offense on days one and two, they went almost all defense on Day three. According to Tom Telesco, that wasn’t intentional, but just how the day played out.

What was intentional was getting guys who could play on special teams because that will be many of the late round guys’ ticket to making the team.

The one glaring need position they did not address was quarterback. Telesco said they were thinking about adding a QB on day one, but after the top six guys went before they picked at 13, they didn’t consider taking one the rest of the draft.

Raiders go defensive back with final picks in seventh round of 2024 NFL Draft

Raiders go defensive back with their final two picks of the Draft

With two picks in the seventh round at 223 and 229 overall, the Raiders added competition to their secondary with the selections of Air Force safety Trey Taylor and Pittsburgh cornerback MJ Devonshire.

Taylor won the Jim Thorpe Award this past season as the best safety in college football. He joins Tre’von Moehrig as Raiders players who won the coveted award.

Devonshire was a second-team All ACC performer last season in his second season as a starter for the Panthers.