AP
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) trains during an NFL football training camp practice Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Had the COVID-19 pandemic not canceled the NFL’s preseason schedule, the Raiders would have two exhibition games under their belt right now and the all-important third contest coming up on Aug. 27. That’s when we would have seen the presumptive starters play through the entire first half, providing the clearest snapshot of how the roster stacks up with the regular season approaching.
Of course, we live in a world where the coronavirus exists, so those preseason games were sacrificed in favor of strictly monitored training camp practices. And that leaves outside observers in the dark when it comes to some of the key battles to fill out the bottom third of the roster.
Like every team, Las Vegas will have to cut down to 53 players on Sept. 5. With two weeks of camp remaining, let’s take a broad view of each position group and check in on how the depth charts appear to be taking shape.
Today let’s look at the offense:
QUARTERBACK
This is a pretty open-and-shut situation. There was some speculation at the time of Marcus Mariota’s signing that the former No. 2 overall pick was being brought in to push Derek Carr, but halfway through training camp Carr’s hold on the starting job is unquestioned.
In his meeting with the media on Tuesday, general manager Mike Mayock only confirmed Carr’s standing as the face of the franchise.
“I’m just really pleased with the way Derek Carr has taken over this football team,” Mayock said. “It goes back to the offseason. It goes back to all the workouts he had with the players and the players just confirming their buy-in. And that’s been awesome. I think Derek is just a natural. I think he gets better every day with Jon in Year 3.”
Mariota is still working to catch up and learn the new playbook, but the only way he gets a chance to start this season is if there’s an injury ahead of him or if Carr completely tanks. Nathan Peterman will likely head into the season as the No. 3 quarterback.
RUNNING BACK
It’s pretty clear that the top priority at this position is to get second-year running back Josh Jacobs through the season healthy. He is perhaps the team’s best and most established skill player (right up there with tight end Darren Waller) and the Raiders don’t want a repeat of his rookie year, when Jacobs was terrific but missed three games due to injury. So he has been on a pitch count early in camp, and the absence of preseason games works in his favor.
The real battle is for the role of third-down back. Though Jacobs wants to expand his duties as a receiver, it might not be in the cards for 2020. As mentioned, the team wants to lessen the beating he takes, and he’s not a natural route-runner, so there will be snaps available for Jalen Richard or rookie Lynn Bowden. Richard is the more experienced, dependable option, but Bowden has more big-play potential — if he can learn the position.
The Raiders tossed another wild card into the mix last week by signing free agent Theo Riddick, an experienced third-down back who has caught 285 passes for 2,238 yards in his six-year career.
RECEIVER
This position looks like it will be as strong as the youngsters make it, and the good news is that rookies Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards have mostly drawn strong reviews in camp. Ruggs’ speed and explosiveness has been as advertised, while Edwards certainly looks the part as a big, physical downfield threat. It would have been nice to see them in preseason action, but their practice performances have been more than fine. Second-year slot man Hunter Renfrow is locked into his role as a chains-mover on third down and is set to build on a good debut season (49 receptions, 605 yards, four touchdowns).
The bad news is there doesn’t seem to be much of a safety net behind the young guys. Tyrell Williams was supposed to serve as the de facto No. 1 receiver on the outside, but that was before we found out about his torn labrum. Williams is not currently practicing but will try to play through the injury; if he’s limited, it will put added pressure on the new guys to produce right away.
The bottom of the depth chart will likely be filled with veteran journeymen such as Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones. Both are capable wideouts, and each is still young enough that you could argue there’s a hint of upside still there. On paper, it’s not a bad receiving corps.
TIGHT END
Jon Gruden loves his tight ends, and this group should give him plenty of reason to run multiple-TE sets. Waller is one of the very best in the game and a clear-cut No. 1 receiver at this position, and Foster Moreau showed promise as a rookie and has looked better in camp so far, staking a claim to the No. 2 role.
Veteran Jason Witten may eat into some of Moreau’s snaps depending on the situation, but again, there will be plenty of playing time and targets to go around for all three tight ends. Last year’s No. 3, Derek Carrier, may be on the outside looking in on cut-down day.
OFFENSIVE LINE
There has been a lot of enthusiasm about the Raiders bringing back last year’s offensive line intact, as another year of continuity could elevate this group to the top of the league. The starting five is locked in place (from left to right): Kolton Miller, Richie Incognito, Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson and Trent Brown.
Not everything has lined up perfectly, however. Brown has been mysteriously absent from camp so far, and while Gruden told the media he expects his right tackle back on the field soon, it’s still worrisome that the 6-foot-8, 380-pounder hasn’t gotten any work in yet. After signing him to a massive contract last offseason, maybe the Raiders just prefer to play it safe and not push Brown too hard until the real games begin.
The second string is solid. Though the Raiders’ social media team took down a video of Jordan Devey getting destroyed by Maurice Hurst in 1-on-1 drills because his teammates felt it made Devey look bad, Devey gives the team versatile depth at guard and center. Rookie fourth-rounder John Simpson should beat out journeyman Denzelle Good as the backup at left guard, and Brandon Parker looks like the top backup tackle. If the team keeps an extra blocker, Good or David Sharpe could be fighting for that spot.
Thursday: Defensive position groups
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
