What to watch for in Raiders’ preseason finale

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Raiders will be in familiar territory to close out their preseason on Sunday. They play the San Francisco 49ers in their first trip back to the Bay Area since moving to Las Vegas last year.

Whatever nostalgia the occasion holds will mostly be contained to the sidelines.

The health and well-being of most of the Raiders’ Oakland holdovers is too important to subject them to potential injury in a meaningless game. That’s why Derek Carr and Darren Waller and Maxx Crosby and so many others will be spectators rather than participants.

Nevertheless, for many players on the Raiders’ roster, the game has profound implications. Sunday represents a final chance for a handful of players on the bubble to state their case for inclusion on the final 53-man roster.

With Raiders decision-makers still sorting out rotational roles, it’s a chance for players to put their best foot forward.

Here are several players with something to prove:

LBs Divine Deablo, Tanner Muse

Deablo, a third-round pick from Virginia Tech, was finally cleared to practice this week and will make his Raiders debut on Sunday.

What was expected to be an easing-in period has turned into a warp-speed process, though. The Raiders’ linebacking corps took a massive hit over the last two weeks, with a foot injury to Nicholas Morrow and a knee injury to Javin White shelving both players for an extended period, and an undisclosed injury to Nick Kwiatkoski sidelining him the last two weeks.

As a result, Deablo and second-year linebacker Tanner Muse have an opportunity to carve out meaningful roles with strong performances on Sunday.

“I feel like there’s definitely an opportunity there,” Deablo said. “I’ve got a lot of ground to cover, that’s the only thing. I’ve got to gain the coaches’ trust. I just have to do my job at the end of the day.”

The Raiders are anxious to get a look at Deablo, who is making the transition from college safety to NFL linebacker.

“He’s not where he needs to be in the pass concepts yet, but we like the skill set,” Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “The big question will be, ‘OK, now the team wants to run. Is he going to be able to utilize his speed on the perimeter but also in the middle to get off blocks and make plays?’”

OTs Brandon Parker, Jaryd Jones-Smith

The Raiders are set on their starting offensive line with LT Kolton Miller, RT Alex Leatherwood, LG Richie Incognito, RT Denzelle Good and C Andre James.

And as they wait for the return of Incognito, who suffered a calf strain during a joint practice with the Rams, they feel good about backup guard John Simpson and center Nick Martin if they have to play. Martin also has played guard, so he might be able to cover both guard and center.

But it gets dicey behind the two tackles, with neither Brandon Parker nor Jaryd Jones-Smith distinguishing himself. It will be interesting to see who from the backups actually plays. That will signal who the Raiders want to get one last look at before deciding who to keep on the roster.

“We still have another game here to make those decisions, but we feel good about the depth right now on the offensive line,” offensive coordinator Greg Olson said.

Others to keep an eye on are Jeremiah Poustasi, Patrick Omameh and Devery Hamilton.

RBs Trey Ragas, B.J. Emmons

With Jalen Richard still out with a foot injury that could compromise his availability for the season opener, rookies Trey Ragas and B.J. Emmons each have an opportunity to claim a spot on the 53-man roster and a role as the third-round back.

“Yeah, we got to see more of them really,” Olson said. “It’s a good competition between those two.”

Ragas, an undrafted free agent from Louisiana, has been impressive as a runner and blocker and might have the inside track. But Sunday will be important for both he and Emmons, an undrafted rookie free agent from Florida Atlantic.

“We like where both of them are, but really Trey Ragas has opened our eyes here in these first couple of games, and in practices we’ve liked what we’ve seen,” Olson said. “So he has a little bit better handle on it right now, but they’re both two good, young developmental backs that we look forward to working with.”

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