DeSean Jackson tells Raiders he’s ready for bigger role

Just before Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia got to the media room Friday, newly acquired wide receiver DeSean Jackson caught up with him.

After some good-natured trash-talking between player and coach, Jackson delivered a not-so-subtle message. And with it, some food for thought for Bisaccia and his coaching staff before they wrapped up their game plan for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Allegiant Stadium.

As Bisaccia explained, Jackson told him: “Coach, I’m feeling more comfortable now.”

The implication was clear. Two weeks after signing with the Raiders, the speedy Jackson has a better handle on the playbook. And just to be on the safe side, he wanted to make that clear to Bisaccia.

“That’s a good sign,” Bisaccia said.

And it affirms what quarterback Derek Carr said earlier in the week when asked where things stand on Jackson’s acclimation to the Raiders.

“It’s headed in a good place,” Carr said.

How that translates into usage for Jackson against the Bengals remains to be seen. Jackson played only nine of 54 offensive snaps in his debut against the Kansas City Chiefs, but that was after one week of preparation with his new team.

That should increase, perhaps significantly, against the Bengals. The Raiders have been less explosive since the loss of Henry Ruggs, whose speed opened the field for him and his teammates to make plays.

They need Jackson to replicate Ruggs as best as possible and as quickly as possible.

“People definitely treat him different, and you can definitely tell they are going to stay on top and they try their best to when he’s out there,” Carr said.

That was evident to Carr during Jackson’s limited playing time against the Chiefs. On one play in particular, Carr remembers Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen making a mad dash to catch up with Jackson after he sprinted free on the back end of the defense.

“He was running for his life to get back behind him, and I would, too,” Carr said. “Any safety would because he’s that fast.”

Carr didn’t throw to Jackson on the play, but that isn’t always the point. By forcing an additional defender to deal with him, Jackson created a better opportunity for his teammates in one-on-one coverage.

“There were some other looks where we’re running him deep, and he takes two guys with him,” Carr said. “Well, sweet, we get a big play here, and having that in our offense is what we had before.”

And, the Raiders hope, it’s what they will have with Jackson.

“The fact that he chose to come here helps me so much, and it helps our running game so much,” Carr said. “Whenever you have that talent, it just opens up things for everybody.”

That includes the 40-yard connection between Carr and Jackson late in the third quarter against the Chiefs. The play ended badly, with Jackson fumbling the ball away to the Chiefs and with it the Raiders’ last real hope.

Nevertheless, it offered a glimpse of what is possible. The key now is getting Jackson on the field more.

“He’s been a quick study,” Bisaccia said. “He’s been around a long time, he’s a really bright guy. So he’s done a good job to get himself where we can hopefully get more looks for him.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.