With the preseason over and NFL cut day approaching on Tuesday, August 27, the Las Vegas Raiders’ attention turns to finalizing the 53-man roster. One veteran who may be somewhat surprisingly cut is cornerback Brandon Facyson, as he missed almost all of training camp and did not play in the preseason.
“Yeah, we’ve got to get Brandon on the field,” head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters Saturday. “I can’t even evaluate him because we haven’t had him on the field yet. So it’s just tough and a lot of these younger cornerbacks have an advantage because of it. It’s good for them to get reps in the preseason and training camp, but I’m not a fan of putting young cornerbacks on the field early when they’re not quite ready. So it would be good to get Brandon healthy again.”
Facyson found himself in a similar situation last year. He missed most of training camp due to injury and began the year on the injured list. He didn’t return until late December and played in just three games.
In addition to the above comments, Pierce said Las Vegas’ cornerback room is “still a work in progress.” He also responded, “If we can get better, we can get better,” when asked if the team will be active on the waiver list this week.
So it seems like the Raiders will try to sign an experienced cornerback as a backup at least this week.
In the links of other Raiders:
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Tyreik McAllister has a big night: “McAllister got Raiders fans excited by running an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, a preseason highlight,” wrote Bill Williamson of Silver and Black Pride. “He also had a 35-yard touchdown pass. McAllister … may still not make the team, but perhaps his big play will help him secure a spot on the practice squad.”
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49ers fast slants: “Defensive linemen Charles Snowden, Byron Young and Matthew Butler each of them recorded a sack for the Raiders,” via Ray Aspuria of S&BP. “It was a welcome sight after Las Vegas failed to record a single sack in its first two exhibition games.”
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Takeaways from the final preseason game: “One small surprise was that the Raiders didn’t start defensive end Tyree Wilson, who has struggled to find his stride after being drafted seventh last year,” wrote Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Wilson isn’t in danger of being released, but after his rookie season was derailed by the foot injury he suffered in his senior year at Texas Tech, any reps he gets seem useful.”
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49ers game highlights: Relive the best moments from Friday night’s game on the Raiders website.
