Rookie handles running-back reps with Ashton Jeanty out of Raiders practice

The Las Vegas Raiders shifted their final outdoor practice indoors after lightning forced a schedule change, leaving Tuesday and Thursday as the last opportunities to make an impression before the roster is trimmed to 53 players. Running back Ashton Jeanty was absent, along with wide receiver Dont’e Thornton and tight end Carter Runyon. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. took the first‑team running‑back reps, while Dylan Laube received occasional snaps and primarily worked with the second‑team offense alongside Dare Ogunbowale. Kirk Cousins displayed his arm strength and chemistry, and five days after his 38th birthday he connected with Tre Tucker for one of the longest plays of camp. Tucker slipped past cornerback Darien Porter, outran rookie safety Treydan Stukes and hauled in a 50‑plus‑yard reception from Cousins as he crossed the goal line without breaking stride. Cousins took all of the first‑team snaps for the second straight practice, building on last Thursday’s preseason win over the Houston Texans in which Fernando Mendoza started at halftime. He added a touchdown on a goal‑line play to Washington in the flat and tight end Michael Mayer on a slant. Mendoza, operating with the second‑team offense, scored on a goal‑line snap to wideout Brandon Johnson after a pass breakup by linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. Treydan Stukes earned consistent first‑team defensive reps, pairing with safety Jeremy Chinn over the last two sessions. Incumbent starter Isaiah Polo‑Mao split time between the second‑team and first‑team defenses. Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard praised Stukes’ work: “Safeties are a large portion of this defence and he’s done a large occupation with that,” Leonard said Monday morning. “I’m conscionable not going to halt pushing him. He’s done a precise bully job. I deliberation he played a batch faster past game, and I deliberation again the instincts are self‑explanatory.” Other rookie defensive backs Jermod McCoy and Hezekiah Massey continued to see regular action with the second‑team unit. On the offensive line, Jackson Powers‑Johnson and Caleb Rogers alternated between the first and second teams at right tackle, with the player starting alongside the first‑team offense switching to the second‑team offense after each series. Third‑round pick Trey Zuhn III logged second‑team snaps at guard, having crossed the offensive line throughout camp, while Jordan Meredith worked at left tackle with Atonio Mafi. Starting center Tyler Linderbaum emphasized the value of depth: “The much radical that you tin conscionable enactment successful and play due to the fact that it’s a agelong season, the amended the offensive unit’s got to be,” Linderbaum said. “We request seven, eight, 9 guys that are acceptable to play aft 1 snap. So, the much reps we tin get with each other, the amended disconnected our unit’s going to be.” Defensive end Maxx Crosby pressured Cousins repeatedly, appearing capable of at least two sacks had the play been live. Undrafted rookie defensive end Cian Slone also flushed Mendoza from the pocket and would likely have recorded a sack in a game setting. The Raiders have incorporated a scout‑team look into their recent practices, using ample one‑on‑one repetitions to prepare for the regular season.