Sunday was a day for the Raiders rookies to show out. First to get his shot was Trey Zuhn who entered the game at right guard with the starting offense and played every snap. He did so while both of the team's former starting right guards were healthy. A considerable amount of trust by head coach Klint Kubiak in his third round rookie.
“I thought Trey was calm in there," Kubiak said of Zuhn's performance. "I thought he was well prepared. That was not a surprise, but I thought he played well. I think there’s things that he’s going to want to improve on. But I was pleased, along with the coaching staff, with the effort that he put on the field and what his future looks like for us.”
Getting Zuhn into the starting lineup this early was not part of
the initial plan for Kubiak. Throughout camp, the competition at right guard was solely between Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers. But after four starts, the offensive line was struggling and Kubiak made a change.
Rogers got the start the past two weeks and looked even worse, so it was time to see what the rookie could do.
“I think it’s always a moving target," Kubiak said of the changes at various positions. "See where your team’s at, and who’s playing the best ball at the time. And it’s a 17-game regular season where things change every week. And they’ve been changing at guard. . . We have a young roster, and we’re going to give guys opportunities and see what fits us best. But your 11, whether you’re playing really well or not playing well at all, it’s always going to change a little bit.”
Before reviewing the film, the overall results seemed positive. Kirk Cousins seemed to have more time to throw, allowing him to complete 19 of 24 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. And he was sacked just once in the game.
The run game was still somewhat lacking, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry in the game on 33 carries, including a turnover on downs despite being in third and two, and five run stuffs in the red zone.
Overall, however, while his predecessor Rogers was a glaring weak spot, the same could not be said for Zuhn. Progress.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders HC Klint Kubiak pleased with rookie Trey Zuhn first start
