3 Raiders players who made a case for a roster spot in Hall of Fame game

3 Raiders players who made their case: TE Jacob Hollister

Another important aspect of the Raiders offseason was bringing in Josh McDaniels to steer the ship. McDaniels is not unfamiliar to the AFC West, as he spent his first NFL head coaching stint with the Denver Broncos in the 2009-2010 season. Him taking the Raiders job this year relates to Jacob Hollister, however, for a different reason. McDaniels was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2012-2021 (his second stint with the Pats, he was there from ‘01-‘08 as well), and Hollister began his career in New England back in 2017. While he only recorded two starts in his time as a Patriot, he was a part of the 2017 Super Bowl run and apparently holds a soft spot in McDaniels’ heart.

Between 2019 and 2021, Hollister racked up a total of 10 starts playing for the Seahawks and Jaguars, and was then brought to Vegas by McDaniels this offseason. Given that the Hall of Fame game is an extra preseason contest distributed to the two teams that play in it every year, it hardly features much time with starters. Obviously Darren Waller is TE1 in Las Vegas and that title won’t be contested unless he is injured. Hollister currently sits as the fourth option on the depth chart behind Foster Moreau and Nick Bowers, but received one of only two targets to tight ends last night; the other was hauled in by Moreau for 10 yards.

It is certainly a long shot, and one reception for seven yards in the first preseason game of the year is hardly a case for a player to break the 53-man roster. However, with shared ties to a championship in New England, maybe Josh McDaniels’ intention with signing Jacob Hollister was to bring a little bit of the Patriot way to Las Vegas.