Mike Washington needs to show Raiders can rely on him in final preseason game

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

The apical non-Fernando Mendoza subordinate to ticker successful the Raiders’ preseason finale contiguous is the aforesaid 1 that held that billing going into the preseason.

Rookie moving backmost Mike Washington has delivered connected each spot of his hype truthful far, producing the Raiders’ longest play from scrimmage successful some a 27-14 nonaccomplishment hosting the Cardinals and a 22-20 triumph astatine the Texans.

Washington sliced the Arizona discourtesy for a 53-yard transportation successful the 2nd 4th 2 weeks agone earlier bullying his mode done postulation for a 33-yard first-quarter pickup successful Houston.

But present there’s much unit than ever earlier for the 23-year-old retired of the University of Arkansas to beryllium he’s acceptable to marque an contiguous interaction successful the NFL.

With pb moving backmost Ashton Jeanty sidelined with an ankle wounded and perchance retired for a fewer weeks to commencement the season, the Raiders indispensable determine if they spot Washington capable to pb caller manager Klint Kubiak’s run-first violative attack.

“I deliberation he’s had a bully camp,” Kubiak said of Washington connected Tuesday. “We person to spot him play truly bully shot connected Thursday.”

Kubiak declined to accidental which players volition beryllium connected the tract against the San Francisco 49ers astatine 5 p.m. contiguous astatine Allegiant Stadium but made an objection for Washington.

The coaching unit seems to request 1 past confirmation that Washington is afloat prepared for the regular season.

He’s done thing successful the erstwhile brace of preseason games oregon successful signifier that would suggest otherwise.

Washington had looked similar a much explosive runner than Jeanty successful grooming campy adjacent earlier the second was sidelined with what initially looked similar a superior wounded Sunday.

That whitethorn person amazed everyone fixed their draught positions — Washington was taken successful the 4th circular arsenic opposed to Jeanty astatine No. 6 wide a twelvemonth agone — but the rookie moving backmost himself.

Washington said helium arrived astatine the team’s Henderson office afloat assured successful his abilities, mostly bolstered by the acquisition of playing successful a pro-style discourtesy past twelvemonth with the Razorbacks nether seasoned manager Bobby Petrino.

“He benignant of enactment maine everywhere,” Washington said of Petrino. “Then coming here, it’s benignant of the aforesaid happening wherever manager is precise detail-oriented truthful helium wants the champion for us.”

The snaps wherever Washington isn’t lined up straight down Mendoza oregon Kirk Cousins successful a accepted enactment is wherever helium whitethorn inactive request to beryllium he’s capable.

Mendoza took accountability for an interception returned for a touchdown against Houston, but Washington whitethorn person besides contributed to the costly mistake. He didn’t tally a cleanable way and whitethorn person thrown disconnected the timing betwixt the two.

When some were healthy, Jeanty was noticeably sharper and much progressive successful the walk game. Washington had chopped into Jeanty’s first-team snaps, but the chances of the duo establishing a existent divided seemed improbable fixed however acold up the second was with each the finer details aft a twelvemonth successful the league.

Still, Kubiak has been encouraged by Washington’s progress.

“I would accidental helium has done a phenomenal occupation of increasing up truly fast,” the manager said. “I deliberation we drafted him, you travel to the NFL, there’s a batch connected your plate. Then we propulsion each these caller protections astatine you, these caller fronts and blitzes and routes, and I deliberation that he's a feline that understands that we are counting connected him. He needs to get up to velocity quickly, and he's been mature astir that. He’s going to support working.”

Protection and shot information basal retired arsenic the biggest concerns of going into the play with Washington arsenic the No. 1 moving back.

The optimistic lawsuit is that helium hasn’t struggled with either truthful acold arsenic a Raider. But young moving backs notoriously sometimes deed a partition with their accrued blocking responsibilities successful the NFL, and fumbling was Washington’s biggest demerit going into the draft.

Otherwise, his scouting illustration mostly indicated helium could person been selected higher. He led each moving backs astatine this year's NFL Draft harvester with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, a peculiarly eye-popping fig fixed his 6-foot-1, 223-pound frame.

So, Washington is some bigger and faster than Jeanty. Why couldn’t helium capable successful serviceably during the unspecific magnitude of clip Jeanty is retired with a sprained ankle?

Jeanty himself expressed content successful Washington aboriginal successful grooming camp, saying determination would be, “no driblet down,” erstwhile Washington was substituted into the offense.

“I genuinely judge he’ll beryllium capable to assistance america triumph immoderate games,” Jeanty said aboriginal connected of Washington.

That conscionable whitethorn present travel sooner than astir imagined. It’s nary certainty. Jeanty could inactive conceivably beryllium backmost successful clip for the Sept. 13 regular-season kickoff against the Miami Dolphins if his wounded is genuinely minor. The Raiders besides person 3 different moving backs vying for roster spots successful third-year, erstwhile sixth-round prime Dylan Laube, erstwhile Houston Texan Dare Ogunbowale and undrafted rookie escaped cause Roman Hemby.

Washington appears to person created separation betwixt himself and that trio, but there’s ever the anticipation of seeking outer help. The Raiders could plaything a commercialized for a seasoned moving backmost or, much likely, onslaught waivers aft 3 p.m. Sunday, erstwhile NFL rosters are required to beryllium chopped from their 90- to 53-man versions.

But that whitethorn not beryllium indispensable if Washington continues connected his existent pace.

“He’s got large burst, bully footwork,” Jeanty said aboriginal successful grooming camp. “He’s continuing to get amended each and each azygous day. I emotion what I’m seeing from him, and he’s continuing to up the modular successful the moving backmost room.”