Raiders WR 'moved the needle' in preseason Week 3, says Antonio Pierce

Mike Moraitis

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Raiders WR 'moved the needle' in preseason Week 3, says Antonio Pierce image

The Las Vegas Raiders finished off their preseason on Friday night with a 24-24 tie against the San Francisco 49ers, but the talk of the game was the standout performance of wide receiver Tyreik McAllister.

McAllister found pay dirt twice in the game, first on an 81-yard punt return and then on a 35-yard catch in the second half that saw him make a great adjustment to catch the pass before turning it up field and scoring. McAllister went on to haul in a 21-yard catch later in the game to cap off his evening.

McAllister entered the game on the roster bubble and desperately needed to stand out, and he did just that in the eyes of head coach Antonio Pierce.

“He’s got some juice, right?” Pierce said of the wide receiver. “Came from the CFL and played running back, never played wide receiver, you can see that transition into the offseason program.”

“We’ve been seeing it in practice, but today he took it to another level. Took one to the crib and a hell of a catch and adjustment on the reception. And even just covering kicks. He moved the needle tonight.”

As Pierce notes, McAllister previously played in the CFL, where he was a star in the return game. But he also played running back, not wide receiver, so he has been trying to learn a new position upon entering the NFL.

“I believe I (belong on an NFL roster). I put hard work in," McAllister said, per Nick Walters of KTNV. "Had a lot of hard times being on practice squad and having to go to the CFL. But I believe I got the skills.”

While this was the first time McAllister made an impact in the passing game in the preseason, it wasn't the first time he did so as a returner after showing out in the preseason Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings, when he recorded two kickoff returns for 59 yards (long of 35) and two punt returns for 31 yards.

The Raiders have a wide open situation at wide receiver behind their top four of Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker and DJ Turner, so it's very possible McAllister earned his way onto the 53-man roster on Friday night.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.