Three Big Developments From Raiders Training Camp

THE BATTLE AT RIGHT GUARD BEGINS

Before the Raiders hit the field for day eight of camp this morning, get caught up on everything that stood out from yesterday’s practice. For the first time this summer, we saw a real shakeup with the first-team offensive line as Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers split reps at right guard, potentially signaling the start of a legitimate competition up front. We also dive into Maxx Crosby’s dominant day, a strong showing from the defensive backs, Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza letting it rip, and the other standouts from Day 7.

THREE BIG THINGS

JPJ vs. Caleb Rogers

The battle at right guard is real, and it officially kicked off Thursday. After keeping the starting offensive line from the offseason and first week of camp intact, the coaching staff made its first move, rotating Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers at right guard.

We dove into this in greater detail on the pod linked above, but it’s big news, so we have to highlight it here, too. Ryan Hoag voiced his feeling that things were shaky for JPJ over the offseason (see the video below), and his hot take isn’t sounding so hot now that we’re seeing a battle develop.

It’s far from over. In fact, it just started, so let’s pump the brakes a bit. But the fact that this was the staff’s first move along the O-line tells you something. Are more coming? Maybe at left guard, where Burford has held it down? Or maybe DJ Glaze finds himself thrust into a battle with rookie Trey Zuhn or Charles Rogers, who has worked exclusively as the second-team left tackle in team sessions so far?

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Tonka Taking a Step Forward?

Second-year defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway has been one of the early surprises of training camp. He’s been getting a ton of work with the first-team defensive line next to whoever is lined up at nose tackle. For anyone wondering, it’s mostly been Adam Butler or Benito Jones with the ones, but let’s get back to Tonka.

He even won the offseason workout warrior award for his efforts in the weight room to get ready for this season, and it’s showing. Don’t take my word for it, though. Here’s what fellow defensive lineman Jonah Laulu had to say about Tonka:

"Don't be surprised when you hear Tonka's name a lot this season. I mean, I've known since he came that he had some juice to him, and I always told him he was a baller. I already knew he was baller, everybody knew that. I remember I think the first practice we had the spring. I told him, I was like, 'I can't wait to see what you do this year. Like I'm excited to see the player you become,' because we always knew he could go. Me and Tonka are, I would say, similar just as far as we're pretty savvy in the pass, but Tonka he's just really smooth with his pass rush and even in the run. He doesn't weigh that much, you would think he weighs more than he does just how good and strong his hands are in the run as well as in the pass. Don't be surprised when you see Tonka out there making plays."

Top Three Camp Wideouts

You saw the tweet from Ryan McFadden of ESPN, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. Few will be surprised to see Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor on that list, but some folks out there might be wondering about Malik Benson.

The kid looked good throughout the offseason workouts, and that’s carried over to training camp, too. We haven’t seen a ton of padded practices yet, but in the few we have seen, he’s looked just as good. He’s developed a nice connection with Fernando Mendoza while working with the twos a lot, but on Thursday, he even got some burn with the ones.

It wasn’t his best overall day of camp, but in an interview with ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Cousins led with Malik Benson when he was asked who has stood out to him in the wide receiver corps:

“I really like our sixth round pick Malik Benson. I think Tre Tucker runs really, really well. Jalen Nailor played with me at Minnesota — he was a Michigan State guy so I followed him for a long time. He’s kind of a complete player, he can do everything.

Keep in mind, it’s still early. We were saying a lot of really good things about Dont’e Thornton Jr. during camp last year, and it never transpired into much during the regular season. Thornton seems to be on the outside looking in this year, too.

But Benson feels like a really good fit for what Kubiak wants to do. He’s got the speed and versatility to play inside or outside, and he can threaten teams deep while also attacking on drags and things like that.

Keep an eye on him as camp rolls on.

REQUIRED READING

We’ve got another one from Ted Nguyen. I swear he’s not paying us, the guy just cranks out quality content at a crazy pace.

This week, Ted dives into why NFL defensive coordinators are leaning so heavily into two-high looks and why that trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Definitely worth a read.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

WHICH RAIDERS LINEMEN ARE MAKING THEIR MOVE?

In case you missed Tuesday’s show, we’ve got you covered with a full breakdown of who’s starting to separate themselves in the trenches at Raiders training camp. I zeroed in on the offensive and defensive line during 1-on-1s, with Tonka Hemingway continuing to stand out and carve out a nice role for himself. We also dive into JJ Pegues, Trey Zuhn, Caleb Rogers, Keyron Crawford plus, some standouts from WR vs. DB 1-on-1s and red-zone work.

NO MCCOY, NO PROBLEM?

Rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy is a guy who’s garnered a ton of attention since the Raiders traded up to take him with the first pick of the fourth round. After all, had he not dealt with injury issues, he likely would have gone in the top 10.

Since arriving in Las Vegas, we’ve all been watching how the Raiders are bringing him along. They’ve said all along that they have a plan for the rookie, but so many teams say that. It seems like the Raiders are actually sticking to that plan, though.

McCoy had been out at practice every day since camp kicked off, but he was absent Thursday. That raised a couple of eyebrows, but assistant head coach Mike McCoy said it’s nothing to worry about:

“We've got a plan for him. We laid this out, the plan, for him a long time ago, and this was part of the rest."

So don’t sound the alarm. It was just a rest day for McCoy.

It makes a ton of sense, too. The Raiders were off Wednesday, so giving him an extra day of rest allows them to stack off days and give him more time to recover as he reacclimates to the rigors of playing football after missing his entire final season of college football.

He’s worked mostly with the twos while Hezekiah Masses and Darien Porter have battled for the starting cornerback spot opposite Eric Stokes, but it really does feel like a matter of time until McCoy starts to make his push.

The fact that the Raiders are giving him this kind of rest shows just how much they like what he’s got. If they doubted it, you might see them push him onto the field more early on.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.

This week, we’re featuring an action shot Arnie snagged of Buddy Johnson. Buddy picked off Aidan O’Connell on Thursday, so I figured that was worth a shoutout in our FanShotz Friday section.

Plus, it’s a killer shot from Arnie, too.

Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Day 8 of Raiders practice! But who’s keeping count at this point anyway?

The Raiders will be back out at HQ for practice Friday and Saturday, and so will we. So keep an eye out for all of our training camp coverage and the ensuing podcasts, with everything you need to know from practice dropping those afternoons.

Catch ya next time,