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LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders have a punt return play called “Magic.”
How apropos for Tyreik McAllister, who may not have been on coach Antonio Pierce’s radar before the preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night, but should be after a magical performance.
McAllister returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and hauled in a reception for a go-ahead score in the third quarter in the 24-24 tie.
“We’ve been seeing it in practice, but today, I mean he took it to another level,” Pierce said. “Took one to the crib, hell of a catch and adjustment there on a reception. And then even just covering kicks. He moved the needles.”
McAllister, who was signed to a reserve/future contract in January, finished with two receptions for 56 yards, including his 35-yard touchdown, and rushed once for seven yards.
The only other Raiders player ever to score a touchdown via punt return and reception in a regular season or playoff game was Johnnie Lee Higgins, against the Houston Texans, on Dec. 21, 2008.
“It felt good just going out there and just making plays,” said McAllister, a Division II running back at Charleston before going undrafted in 2022. “Everybody knew this was going be a big game for us, well, for the younger guys that were playing in the game, so we just wanted to leave our best impression on the last game.
“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 were trying to make the roster, or trying to make the practice squad.”
The 5-foot-10 wideout had a couple of stints on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad before playing in the Canadian Football League in 2023 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he honed his skills as a kick returner.
McAllister was asked to switch to receiver when he joined the Raiders and admitted the transition wasn’t easy since he hadn’t played the position since his early years in college.
Putting in work with the Broncos and Tiger-Cats helped his versatility, while he also said the entire wide receivers room, including occasional chats with Raiders veteran Davante Adams, helped him rejuvenate his skills as a receiver.
The 26-year-old has the versatile skill set to fulfill a role for a Raiders team that will be looking for added weapons this season.
“He’s got some juice,” Pierce said. “Came from the CFL and played running back, never really played wide receiver, you can see that transition into the offseason program. And I thought he did a hell of a job just in training camp, just quietly.”
Asked if he felt he belonged on an NFL roster, McAllister exuded confidence in his abilities.
“I believe I do.," McAllister said. "That’s not up 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 to play at this level.”
Teams have until Tuesday to trim their rosters to 53 players.
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