The Raiders have their first day off training camp today after practicing each of the last four days. In this first group of practice sessions, here are my thoughts on an assortment of players, by position:
Quarterback:
Derek Carr looks solidly in command and ready to lead the Raiders to victory. The offense is clearly his offense and he looks to be taking steps as a leader. Carr is an optimist and I’m curious to see if that’s a positive or negative this year. The best quarterbacks that I can think of have been pessimists – never content with the status quo.
Behind Carr, Matt McGloin and Christian Ponder are competing for the second QB spot. Most people thought that Ponder would be given it outright but Del Rio has instituted a competition and it’s not clear who has the upper hand at this point. They both have advantages and disadvantages. I think Ponder still gets it, eventually, but one cannot count out McGloin’s competitive spirit and passion.
Offensive Line:
The starting offensive line has been the same all four practice days and it carries over from minicamps. From left to right, the starting five have been: Donald Penn, Gabe Jackson, Rodney Hudson, J’Marcus Webb and Menelik Watson. As of now, this is your most likely starting five come September.
To his credit, Webb has shown the ability to pull, run and seal the edge on outside runs, which is an important skill in today’s NFL.
Webb isn’t the only player to be converting from tackle to guard this season. Matt McCants, who has played as a backup LT and blocking tight end the last two seasons, is also playing at guard during the training camp. New OL coach Mike Tice is tinkering with the line but he likes the current arrangement at this point, which is why there hasn’t been a change.
Tight End:
Rookie Clive Walford remains out with an unknown day to day injury of some sort and in his absence, Mychal Rivera is having a solid if not spectacular camp as a receiver. The longer that Walford is out, the less likely he is to be an impact player this year.
Free agent signee Lee Smith is a physically imposing guy and he showcased his blocking skills over the first four practices. When the pads came on, he was able to move defenders around, showing his value for the team. Despite being primarily a blocker, Smith is in contention for the start because he can help in the run game so much and the Raiders want to be a run-first team.
Backfield:
I expect big things from Latavius Murray. He is definitely the guy to beat at running back and he has all the skills necessary to perform at a high level in the NFL. Murray worked extra hard this offseason and he showed up to camp keyed up and ready to run. He had a rough time in pass blocking drills but otherwise there have been no complaints about his performance.
Behind Murray, Roy Helu Jr. is a solid change of pace running back. He hasn’t stood out in any one way but that includes no negatives.
Taiwan Jones is back at running back and the team appears to be planning on getting him into space to use his speed in the open field. Unfortunately, his fumblitis also returned to running back with him – he lost a fumble on a goal line drill yesterday.
Finally UDFA Michael Dyer is turning heads due to his compact, stocky frame and some good burst. Dyer looked like a superstar when he was in college but he washed out due, in part, to drug use. Dyer has a golden opportunity to make this squad and he’s doing a good job of capitalizing so far.
Wide Receivers:
Crabtree has been getting the most press and rightfully so – it’s likely that he has the best set of hands on the team in some time. He and Carr have also worked on understanding each other and how they like to play and Carr clearly trusts him more than other options.
Amari Cooper has not made spectacular plays but he’s been fairly consistent about getting open and catching the balls that are targeted to him. He did have a notable fumble during the second practice when Keith McGill was able to knock out the ball for a defensive recovery.
Behind the two new receivers, Rod Streater would be the best bet for receptions but as of now that’s not an option because he has started camp on the non-football injury list. He’s expected to be back soon – possibly tomorrow.
Kenbrell Thompkins has had a good camp thus far and has moved himself into contention to make the team, I think. He’s been consistent if not flashy.
Andre Holmes has continued his maddening tendency to make a spectacular catch one play and then clank an easy one off his hands.
Defensive Line and Linebackers:
It’s difficult to get a full idea of these two positional groups thus far other than to say that Khalil Mack is shaping up to have a monster year. He has achieved multiple simulated sacks during the practices, no matter who has gone against him.
Otherwise, it’s a little bit of an unknown. Sio Moore came back from PUP and was inserted into the second team but has made some plays behind the line of scrimmage including some stuffs of Latavius Murray.
No other standouts in this area, neither positive nor negative.
Secondary:
DJ Hayden has a lot to overcome to start at this point. He is locked in a 3 way battle with TJ Carrie and Keith McGill and he has not had any impact plays to date that I can recall. Carrie and McGill have both made some plays- including the aforementioned forced fumble that McGill had against Cooper on the second day.
McGill is not a good fit for the nickel position because of his size and lack of explosive speed. He is a better fit outside. That means that either Hayden or Carrie will likely be the person that will fill the nickel position. As of now, Hayden looks the most likely to play the nickel role.
The Raiders go back to work tomorrow at 4:25pm and they practice for five consecutive days moving between morning and afternoon sessions during that time.
Now that the team has started to get into a rhythm, the next week of practices will be key to gauge where this team is currently and where they are headed.
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