Raiders Not Even Dressing 50 Players is Further Proof NFL Preseason is a Joke

NFL fans take the fourth game of the preseason for granted, but why? It's players fighting for a 53-man roster spot for the regular season, which will can certainly make for entertaining football. Guys have to show off every last thing they can do up against the threat of a pink slip.

Like the Oakland Raiders, as they face off against the Seattle Seahawks. And fans got to see...46 players in uniform for the preseason finale, according to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle?

With only 46 guys available on Thursday night -- noticeably below the 53-man threshold for regular season, and far under the 75-man limit the preseason ends with -- it makes you wonder if head coach Jon Gruden already has his opening season roster already set in stone, albeit with a few openings.

Who knows? Maybe Gruden wanted to essentially utilize a regular season-type roster in the final game of the summer. You can't put that past the guy.

And people wonder why the third preseason game is the one to watch. It's due to starting players getting a few reps in before they log in serious minutes in the regular season. Once the fourth preseason contest rolls around, it's essentially the third-and-fourth string players vying for a spot on special teams.

If that.

Perhaps the preseason could mean something one day. But not as long as their are four games. That's more than clear.