After Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, the Raiders are sitting on a two-game losing skid and the competition won’t be getting any easier in the next two weeks.
As head coach Klint Kubiak searches for answers to jumpstart the team, one option he might consider is juggling the lineup.
The Raiders don’t have tremendous roster depth, but they do have a few players who could be pushing for playing time in the next few weeks (or even this week) if mistakes aren’t cleaned up.
Let’s take a look at some players who could be on the ‘hot seat’ going into week 6 against the Bills…
Spencer Burford
The popular name to potentially crack the starting lineup this week is second-year guard Caleb Rogers, and if Rogers moves into a starting role soon, the player he would likely replace is Spencer Burford.
Burford knows Kubiak’s system well and coaches love him, but the veteran guard has turned in disappointing performances in two of the last three games.
Burford signed a one-year, $3.1 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason, and that’s not a contract that is going to buy him any additional patience from the coaching staff.
The Raiders understand Burford isn’t the long-term answer at left guard and John Spytek didn’t use a third-round pick on Rogers to have him stand on the sideline.
Hezekiah Masses / Eric Stokes
The Raiders have a lot of options at cornerback, and no one has stood out as a true CB1 through the first five games.
Hezekiah Masses was the talk of the team in September when he had three interceptions in the first three games, but the rookie cornerback has been a liability on coverage since, and teams have begun to target him.
Masses deserves credit for the turnovers he has been involved in, but it’s worth pointing out that one of his interceptions was an egregiously underthrown ball thanks to a Malcolm Koonce pressure and another should have been a completion, but a Chargers’ tight end essentially bobbled the ball into the hands of Masses.
Masses is loaded with talent, but he still has a lot to learn and opposing offenses have learned to take advantage of his youth and aggression. He has also been flagged for four penalties on the season.
As for Eric Stokes, he has been the lowest-graded defensive player on the Raiders’ roster with at least 10 snaps (Pro Football Focus).
Stokes has been flagged with a pair of questionable penalties, but the Raiders need more production from their veteran cornerback.
It has not been a good start to the season for Stokes.
Honorable Mention: Ashton Jeanty
Of course, Jeanty isn’t going to be a backup, but if his production doesn’t pick up, how can the coaching staff not lean more on Mike Washinton Jr.?
Something hasn’t been right with Jeanty since the first week of the season. Hopefully, it’s been the injured foot and ankle that have slowed him down, but there have also been concerns about Jeanty’s vision in recent weeks.
Jeanty said he is feeling the best he has felt all year, so hopefully that translates to him being more explosive in week 6 against the Bills.
Everyone knows the offensive line has not blocked well, but when he has opportunities, Jeanty needs to be more of a playmaker than he has been.
As for Washington, week 5 looked like a perfect opportunity to get the rookie running back more carries.
Jeanty was a gametime decision against the Patriots and somehow went from barely being able to play in the game… to playing a lot and Washington only getting one carry.
x: @raidersbeat
Burford was a terrible sign. He ranked near the bottom of the league last season.
Every one of our cornerbacks could have the same if not better results at number one as Stokes has read an article this morning that said he was awesome. Unbelievable. People that can get get a platform without even watching a game.