Camp is over, and Raider Nation is staring down two deadlines at once: tonight's preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers, and Saturday's roster cut down to 53 names. Scott Gulbransen breaks down both, starting with the injury hanging over everything.
Ashton Jeanty went down diving for a low Kirk Cousins pass Sunday and couldn't put weight on his right leg, prompting the entire team to take a knee in prayer. Head coach Klint Kubiak stayed characteristically tight-lipped on Tuesday, offering only "he's on the mend," but reports since then point to a low ankle sprain rather than anything long-term. Scott lays out why there's still a real chance Jeanty opens the season on the shelf, and why that makes fourth-round rookie Mike Washington Jr. one of the most important names in the building. With Jeanty sidelined the last two practices, Washington stepped into first-team work, showed real growth as a pass catcher out of the backfield, and is averaging over 8 yards a carry through two preseason games.
From there, Scott runs through the rest of the rookie class making late-camp noise: second-round safety Treydan Stukes, who's taking heavy first-team reps and drawing praise from defensive coordinator Rob Leonard; cornerback Darien Porter, whose recovery speed has shown up against Brock Bowers and Jalen Nailor; and offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III, whose versatility across the line could be the difference-maker in a crowded position group. Plus the latest on No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, his chemistry with Malik Benson, why Scott still doesn't think he should start Week 1, and how Kubiak is keeping the quarterback competition close to the vest.
Also in this episode: the right guard battle between Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers, what to watch for tonight against the 49ers, a call from Anders in Oakland pushing back on the offensive line and the Mendoza timeline, and Scott's honest read on where this rebuild actually stands heading into Week 1.
BE PART OF THE SHOW Call or text: 702-907-8697 (confirm before publishing, see flag below) Email your video or comment: mail@silverandblacktoday.com Find us on YouTube, X, Facebook, TikTok and Spotify: search Silver and Black Today
Silver and Black Today is part of BLEAV.
Chapters:
00:00 Jeanty's injury and the team's prayer 02:35 Kubiak's tight-lipped injury update 05:14 The backfield names to know 07:04 Mike Washington Jr. takes over first-team reps 11:14 Trey Stokes and Darien Porter's late-camp surge 14:31 Fernando Mendoza and the QB1 question 18:25 Trey Zion III and offensive line versatility 20:01 Roster locks and the right guard battle 24:00 What to watch tonight vs. the 49ers 26:35 The foundation analogy and win-total expectations 32:33 Listener call: Anders from Oakland 38:07 Sign-off
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
