HENDERSON, Nev.—On the first day of training camp at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, the Las Vegas Raiders found themselves with a fair number of questions on offense.
However, those same questions extend far beyond who is starting at quarterback on Week One. The offensive line is very much in flux, while the battle for who earns touches beyond Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty began in earnest.
There was some clarity on the former, with Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers-Johnson getting the initial nods at the guard spots with the first team, but the competition to find the best five on the line remains undecided.
“It’s a great group, hardworking group,” described Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum about his new teammates. “Guys that come into the building each and every day and want to improve, and that’s all you can ask for out of an offensive unit.”
Elsewhere, the remaining Raiders began their own competitions.
As announced by head coach Klint Kubiak on Tuesday, Kirk Cousins got the first reps with the starters at quarterback, followed by Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell.
“I think in this league, it comes one day at a time,” said Cousins about the initial placement of the depth chart. “You’re only as good as your last snap, your last practice. You try every day to earn that opportunity and never take anything for granted.”
Running back was more even with Dylan Laube and Mike Washington Jr. splitting carries with the second unit, while Roman Hemby and Chris Collier did the same with the third-stringers.
Out of all of the backup running backs, Hemby was one of the early standouts. His connection with Mendoza from their time in Indiana showed up in catching drills, while he put together a pair of nice runs during the team period. While one day of practice in shorts is not going to create any movement up the depth chart, a strong first impression would go a long way towards cementing the Raiders’ faith in Hemby.
“First and foremost, how can you get better in your position or what can you digest assignment-wise,” answered offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko on what the undrafted free agent can do to help his case for a roster spot.
“Can we trust you in the role that you’re in, and then how do you help us on special teams as well? I think Coach [Kubiak] talked about that yesterday. We all know that these young guys, they got to help us in all phases of the game.”
Meanwhile, some of the receivers and tight ends pushed themselves into some good spots.
Undrafted free agent tight end Patrick Gurd would draw some audible praise from the coaches early on, with the Cincinnati product being noticeable on a pair of crisp out routes. During the team period, Tre Tucker would force a hold from cornerback Decamerion Richardson after getting a step on him deep. Mendoza would hit a dart to Jack Bech towards the left sideline for a nice gain. O’Connell would even get a nice throw in, staying tough in the pocket and absorbing contact to still get the ball to Ian Thomas.
The best play of the day, however, would come from sixth-round rookie Malik Benson. On the last play, O’Connell was able to see Benson get some open space on a corner route. Benson would use that breathing room to activate his straight-line speed and go nearly untouched on his way to the end zone.
“I want to see his explosiveness come to life,” said Janocko about what he expects from Benson. “We’re going to maximize what he does, how he comes off the ball, being able to challenge him mentally and do different things with him and just see him grasp the offense.”
With practices just beginning and the intensity level only going to rise from here, the Raiders certainly look up for the challenge.