Leatherwood’s struggles continue in Raiders’ preseason win

MIAMI — As can be expected when approximately 30 players stay home for various reasons, the Raiders’ 15-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday was a mix of good, bad and sometimes ugly.

But something tangible was accomplished even on a night when the struggles of the offensive line, specifically young right tackle Alex Leatherwood, amplified one of the club’s biggest concerns.

In leaving a bunch of key players in Las Vegas, coach Josh McDaniels pushed another bunch of players beyond where they have gone thus far in camp.

As he put it: “A ton of guys played a lot of football tonight.”

That they had enough left in the tank to rally back to take a late fourth-quarter lead and then make one last defensive stand to secure the win showed McDaniels something about a group trying to prove they belong.

“They played the entire 60 minutes of the game, which is what it took for us to win,” McDaniels said.

A look at some good and bad:

Leatherwood’s struggles

With Brandon Parker and Thayer Munford unable to play because of injuries and Jermaine Eluemunor getting the nod at left tackle in place of starter Kolton Miller, the right tackle assignment went to Leatherwood, the 17th draft pick last year.

It was a big opportunity for Leatherwood to get back on track after losing starting practice reps to Parker, Munford and Eluemunor.

At first glance, it was an opportunity squandered as Leatherwood struggled mightily during the first half. Nowhere more so than in pass protection.

All of which was abundantly clear on a two-play second-quarter sequence.

First, Leatherwood got manhandled by Dolphins defensive tackle John Jenkins, who pile-drove Leatherwood into the backfield and onto the lap of Raiders quarterback Nick Mullens just as he was getting rid of the ball.

On the next play, Leatherwood was slow to set up in pass protection and whiffed on a block on defensive end Porter Gustin, who took Mullens to the ground for a sack.

It was that kind of night for Leatherwood, who gave way to Eluemunor late in the second quarter when Jackson Barton took over at left tackle, but then came back in the second half to get more reps.

McDaniels, though, said some of the issues were more team driven than the fault of the individual.

“I know a lot of times one person gets singled out here or there and we say this guy did this, this guy did that,” McDaniels said. “There’s a lot of guys that are supposed to do a lot of things the right way. When we do it right, we usually do it well. When we don’t, there’s a chance for some plays that happened tonight.”

The Raiders opened right tackle and swing tackle to competition, with Leatherwood in the running but losing ground over the past two weeks. Thus far, the club has not been inclined to go outside its roster to add to the competition, but that might have to change if Munford and Parker remain sidelined.

Bower excels

An early training camp injury to outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell opened a big door for Tashawn Bower, and the young rush end has not disappointed.

As has been the case throughout camp, he continually delivered quality reps Saturday while getting the heat on the quarterback, flashing in run defense and coming up with five tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.

“I just try to take good coaching like everyone else does and take it day by day,” Bower said.

Bower is fighting for a backup edge rusher role along with Malcolm Koonce. The Raiders added veteran outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins to the mix last week, but Jenkins suffered an apparent knee injury Saturday.

Free agents stand out

Cornerback Sam Webb and linebackers Darien Butler and Luke Masterson continued their strong training camps and preseasons with solid performances against the Dolphins.

The trio combined for 17 tackles, with Webb and Masterson leading the team with six each.

“It’s a great opportunity, for sure,” said Masterson, who played at Wake Forest. “I’m having a ton of fun with it.”

Added Butler, who played at Arizona State: “I’m just trying to improve every day. I go out with the mindset of not taking days off, not letting up.”

McDaniels is taking notice.

“They’ve played a lot of football for us so far,” he said. “Each time they go out there, it’s an opportunity for them to improve on something that we’ve coached or corrected the week before. The best you can do is take advantage of all the opportunities you can get.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.