ALAMEDA, Calif. -- One of the more interesting roster battles for the Oakland Raiders in the final week will be between Michael Dyer and Trent Richardson at backup tailback.
When the Raiders gave Richardson, the former No. 3 overall draft pick, $600,000 in guaranteed money in March, it seemed like he had the job sewn up. However, undrafted free agent Michael Dyer has been impressive since offseason workouts.
Oakland offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave praised Dyer for his attention to detail, from being in meetings to the practice field.
Dyer has been better than Richardson in training camp and in the preseason. Dyer, who went to three colleges, had 45 yards on 12 carries against Minnesota last week. Richardson had five yards on five carries. Dyer made improvements from the opening preseason game, when he had 11 yards on five carries.
“I just felt comfortable and just went week-to-week,” Dyer said.
He said his second-game success did give him confidence going into the final roster push. The Raiders must be down to their 53-man roster by Sept. 5. Dyer knows he had two more preseason games to help cement his job.
“I just have to stay focused on being part of this team,” he said.
