Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats returner Tyreik McAllister made a compelling final case to make the roster of the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night, scoring two spectacular touchdowns in the team’s preseason finale.
“I thought McAllister did a hell of a job,” head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters following his team’s 24-24 tie with the San Francisco 49ers. “We’ve been seeing it in practice, but today, I mean, he took it to another level. Took one to the crib and a hell of a catch, the adjustment there on the reception, and then even just covering kicks. He moved the needle.”
McAllister was a threat to score on both offence and special teams in his final NFL preseason audition. The 26-year-old put the Raiders on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, fielding a Pressley Harvin III punt and making the first wave of tacklers miss before breaking free left for an 81-yard major.
Tyreik McAllister was ELECTRIC on this @Raiders TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ey3ZjlyFQy
— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024
“It was very special. I put a lot of pride into it, because I know coming from the CFL, that’s what got me back here — playing special teams and doing good on special teams,” McAllister said in the locker room post-game.
“I just did what I was coached to do, man. We had a return called ‘Magic’, and it was just you stretch it and hit the hole. That was my main thing. I caught it, I seen them flowing, so I just tried to get them to flow more and put my foot in the ground to get as much as I could get. Saw daylight and had the punter right there, so that was it.”
The five-foot-eleven, 180-pound speedster showed impressive versatility as a CFL rookie in 2023, leading the league in kickoff return average and all-purpose yards. He fielded 41 kickoff returns for an average of 25.3 yards, 56 punt returns for an average of 10.8 yards, and seven missed field goal returns for 408 yards and one touchdown.
McAllister also recorded 13 carries for 52 yards and 27 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns while with the Ticats, catching the eye of the Raiders’ personnel department. They elected to convert the former University of Charleston running back into a full-time wide receiver and he delivered with two catches for 56 yards against the Niners, including a ridiculous adjustment on a 35-yard pass from Carter Bradley that resulted in a go-ahead touchdown.
The Tyreik McAllister show continues!
The adjustment and the catch for the TD 🙌 pic.twitter.com/E8kjhOA2tJ
— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024
“He’s got some juice. Came from the CFL and played running back, never really played wide receiver. You could see that transition into the off-season program and I thought he did a hell of a job in training camp, just quietly,” Pierce said.
In addition to his two touchdowns, McAllister has posted one carry for seven yards, two receptions for 56 yards, four kick returns for 116 yards, and three punt returns for 112 yards through three preseason games. It remains to be seen if that will be enough to earn him a spot on the Raiders’ final roster.
The native of Latta, S.C., who previously spent time on the Denver Broncos’ practice roster as an undrafted free agent in 2022, knows how vital that final performance was for his NFL dream.
“It was very important. You don’t want to put too much pressure on one game, but everybody knows it was a big game for a lot of guys that are trying to make the roster or trying to make the practice squad,” he said.
“I believe I do [deserve to be on an NFL roster]. That’s not on to me to make that decision but I put the hard work in. Had a lot of hard times coming from the Denver practice squad and having to go to the CFL, but I believe I’ve got the skills capable of playing at this level.”
McAllister’s fate will be decided by Tuesday, August 28 at 4:00 p.m. EDT, when the Raiders and all 31 other NFL teams will be forced to trim their rosters down to 53 players.
