Raiders’ young receiver appears ready to turn the corner

Lined up to the inside of tight end Brock Bowers on a third-and-2 play Sunday, Raiders rookie wide receiver Jack Bech did not reveal any clues about his next move.

In fact, he never looked at Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, who was positioned 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Instead, Bech fixed his gaze to his left, where Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was calling out signals.

The entire sequence, including what happened next, served as a subtle reminder of the development of Bech, the Raiders’ second-round draft pick from TCU, and why he continues to earn more playing time.

“He definitely is,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s in the rotation much more so, yeah, he’s done a nice job lately.”

At the snap of the ball, Bech turned his head in Still’s direction. But Bech was looking past Still, not at him, as he ran off the line of scrimmage. It’s almost as if Bech was planning to run past the defender.

Bracing for Bech to do just that, Still began to backpedal.

Bech had Still where he wanted him. Four yards into his route, Bech made a hard cut left, leaving Still scrambling to recover.

The damage is done, though, and the 2 yards of separation between Bech and Still was enough for Smith to deliver a pass to the wide-open Bech.

The result was a 16-yard gain.

By correctly reading the Chargers’ coverage scheme, Bech knew the proper route to run. But he also used his eyes and body language to throw off the defender. It added up to a big first down and further proof of Bech learning the finer points of playing wide receiver in the NFL.

“There’s definitely a learning curve just with the nuance of the game, but also being able to tell the disguises and the defenses,” Bech said. “Obviously, all these guys are pros out here, so they’re all very good at disguising what they’re doing, not showing you, until the last minute, what’s going on.”

Patient process

This is what Carroll and the Raiders (2-10) had in mind for Bech while they patiently brought him along.

It has never been a question of catching ability or toughness or physicality for the rugged 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pounder. But succeeding at this level goes beyond the obvious attributes.

“When the guys are new, you can see their talent, but they got to get all of their assignments and all the little things and all the details of stuff,” Carroll said.

The Raiders coach is a stickler for the development process.

“That’s why you play them sparingly as you’re bringing them up and you raise them, hopefully,” Carroll said. “When you get the halfway point, they should have their act together.”

Bech has played 193 snaps this year, including 114 on passing downs.

He’s been targeted 14 times and caught 10 passes for 114 yards. Of those receptions, eight have resulted in first downs.

Big downs for Bech

Despite the limited production, Bech is making an impact on big downs.

“I always just try to make sure I do my part, whether that’s first, second, or third down,” Bech said. ‘To be able to be available for Geno to throw the ball to.”

Coupled with his deeper understanding, Bech is earning more playing time. The next five games could be a springboard to a bigger role next year.

Either way, he is enjoying the process and the results that come with it.

“It’s definitely a part I love about the game,” Bech said. “Every day you come in here, you have some little thing work on to get better at.

“Each amd every day, each and every week, each and every game. It’s just that conscious self-improvement that you have for yourself.”

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