HENDERSON, Nev.—With a preseason game now under the belts of the Las Vegas Raiders, the competitive nature of training camp has picked up as the regular season comes closer than ever.
Throughout Sunday as training camp picked back up, the intensity was evident in virtually every aspect. From special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis’s animated disposition during drills to Maxx Crosby going all out during the team period to audible responses from players after almost every play, the preparations for the upcoming season have taken a shift as competition ramps up and the opportunities to make a statement begin to dwindle.
It is all part of the plan, however, as Thursday’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals was the first viewing of how the Raiders would look on the field.
“Just as a team, we got to improve,” said Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak after Sunday’s practice.
“There’s a lot of improvement [on] offense, defense, special teams. There’s things that I liked. There’s things that we got to do better. We put a lot of time into that yesterday and we all know it is our fourth week of training camp and we’re a team that’s still jelling together.”
A major point of emphasis in terms of improvement came defensively, as Thursday proved not to be that unit’s finest hour.
With a pass rush that did not get going until late (albeit sans Crosby) and a secondary that allowed 16 straight completions to start, the defense knows that they have to perform better in the remaining two preseason games. While Thursday could have been a blow to their collective confidence, the defense managed to respond with a strong day, particularly against a first-team offense that was without Brock Bowers. The defensive line was wreaking havoc against Kirk Cousins at times, giving the likes of Decamerion Richardson and Tommy Eichenberg the opportunities to make plays.
“As a secondary, we never want to put that on our resume, but it happens,” said cornerback Darien Porter on Thursday’s effort. “Now, we just have to learn from it and…just try to put that to rest and not let that happen again.”
The pressure pointed to the need for a strong running game to provide relief, which is something Kubiak has aimed to implement throughout camp.
In preparation for requiring a physical run game, Kubiak has emphasized the importance of his fullbacks. Connor Heyward and Patrick Gurd have each gotten opportunities at a spot where they are needed to be versatile, whether as lead blockers for the running back behind them, pass blockers to pick up blitzers, or even potential safety valves in the receiving game. Kubiak has often referred to the fullback needing to be the smartest player on the offense, and the number of roles they play on the field highlight the need for high football IQ.
“I feel like me and Pat…we’re versatile, but everybody on the offensive side, you got to be able to play multiple positions,” said Heyward.
“We have a lot of capable receivers and a lot of versatile guys on offense, and I’m just trying to do my 111. You guys might view it as that, but I just view it as doing my job.”
The running backs have also needed to be versatile in their own right, as the screen game has gotten some work from all of the backs. Mike Washington, in particular, will attract some attention now after a 53-yard run that served as the highlight of the Raiders offense against Arizona.
“He’s just a bruiser, man,” said running back Dylan Laube on his rookie teammate. “He’s a special talent since day one. He’s come in and just work. He’s a very fun player to watch.”
With a stern test in the Houston Texans awaiting on the road, the Raiders will soon get the chance to test their mettle against one of the NFL’s best defense, and a positive effort will go a long way for players to secure spots on the 53-man roster.