Although the Las Vegas Raiders are coming off an 8-9 season, most of their starting jobs are solidified. Injuries and a litany of other factors could change that before the Sept. 8 opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, but there don’t appear to be many significant roles or roster spots up for grabs.
Anzeige
A notable exception: The most important position in the game, as free-agent veteran Gardner Minshew II is set to battle second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell for the starting job. Competition began in offseason team activities, but it’ll intensify when the team reports for training camp in Costa Mesa, Calif., on July 23.
Here are the Raiders’ five biggest position battles to watch:
1. Quarterback
Minshew and O’Connell split snaps with the starters during offseason team activities and will continue to do so when training camp begins. Both players got off to a rough start during OTAs as they struggled with accuracy, turned the ball over too frequently and failed to consistently push the ball down the field vertically. They deserve some grace as they were still early in the stages of learning offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense and had to face a defense entering Year 3 under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, but that doesn’t change the fact that each quarterback has a long way to go.
GO DEEPER
Davante Adams urges patience with Raiders offense: 'We'll see' how good unit can be
The Raiders’ front office and coaching staff are confident that Minshew or O’Connell will separate themselves throughout training camp practices and preseason games. As Jimmy Garoppolo’s benching showed last season, whoever the Day 1 starter is won’t necessarily hold that position for the entire regular season. It’ll depend on performance, of course, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if both Minshew and O’Connell take the field at some point this year.
2. Cornerback
The Raiders returned nine defensive starters from last season and added another in star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. That should help the unit build on last season’s success, but there’s a vacancy at outside cornerback opposite Jack Jones that lacks a clear answer. Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson rotated with the starters during OTAs, but there’s still room for a dark horse like rookie Decamerion Richardson to emerge.
Anzeige
Bennett started the first four games of his rookie season last year, but he played poorly, suffered an injury that forced him out of the rotation and never reclaimed his role. He has an average build at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, but he’s an explosive athlete, has dynamic speed and a knack for making plays on the ball. In an ideal world, he makes the leap to become a reliable starter this season. If not, Facyson makes the most sense as a fallback option. The seven-year veteran missed all but three games last season due to injury, but he played at a solid level as a part-time starter with the Raiders in 2021 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. If neither player is up to par, it’d make sense for the Raiders to explore the free-agent market.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Buy
3. Tight end
Brock Bowers was drafted with the 13th pick in April, but he’ll still have to earn his starting role. He possesses a dynamic skill set as a pass catcher. He can line up as an inline tight end, outside receiver and slot receiver. He has good hands, athleticism and speed and is adept at gaining yards after the catch. The downside is that he’s a little undersized at 6-3, 243 pounds and was questionable as a blocker in college. Getsy’s run-first offense asks a lot out of tight ends in the run game, so Bowers will have to make strides in that area to stay on the field.
GO DEEPER
Brock Bowers’ unlikely road to becoming the Raiders’ first-round pick
“First thing’s first: I tell our guys they’re going to earn all their opportunities in the pass game by blocking in the run game,” tight ends coach Luke Steckel said in May. “That might be an old-school mentality, but that’s my approach: Tight ends are blockers first. And then when we can go make plays in the pass game, that’s just icing on the cake.”
Michael Mayer, a second-round pick in 2023, made substantial growth as a blocker last season, is bigger than Bowers at 6-4, 265 pounds and is a talented receiver in his own right. He’s not as explosive as Bowers, but he also can line up inline, outside and in the slot. The Raiders will frequently use 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers) to get Bowers and Mayer on the field together, but that obviously won’t always be the case. If Bowers doesn’t develop quickly as a blocker, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for Mayer to see more snaps.
4. Running back
After spending most of his first two seasons in the league parked on the bench, Zamir White finished last season strong when Josh Jacobs went down with a season-ending injury. Now, he’s expected to take over as the full-time starter. As coach Antonio Pierce was quick to point out, that doesn’t mean he can rest on his laurels. Alexander Mattison has spent his entire career playing in zone-based blocking schemes similar to the one Getsy uses, has been a durable player and started 13 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season. He could step in as a starter if White can’t handle the larger workload. Running backs coach Cadillac Williams has made it clear to White that nothing will be handed to him, but he’s optimistic the third-year running back will meet the challenge.
Anzeige
“He’s got a chance to be really good,” Williams said last month. “I mean, he’s big, physical, strong, quick, and can do a lot of things that again you don’t have to coach.”
5. Kick returner
With the NFL’s new kickoff rule going into effect this season, the value of kick returners has skyrocketed. Receiver DeAndre Carter handled kickoff return duties for the Raiders last season, but he’s no longer on the roster. During OTAs, special teams coordinator Tom McMahon experimented with several players fielding kickoffs. Running backs Dylan Laube and Ameer Abdullah, receiver Tre Tucker and cornerback Nate Hobbs were used most frequently. Teams are allowed to designate up to two players as returners on any given kickoff, so it’s possible this could be a shared role this season.
(Top photo: John Locher / Associated Press)
