Silver And Black Pride
Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
We have a slightly shorter mailbag for this week as the Las Vegas Raiders are on a break and not much is going on across the NFL during the downtime. That said, training camp isn’t too far away, meaning a few spots on the Raiders’ roster and depth chart will be up for grabs, and that’s this week’s focus.
Q: Which Raiders position groups are gonna offer the fiercest competitions during training camp?
A: Guard, cornerback and linebacker.
While it appears that Alex Cappa is the heavy favorite to be the right guard, I think both starting guard spots are up for grabs. There will be four contenders with Dylan Parham, Jordan Meredith and Thayer Munford Jr. getting reps inside during OTAs. Meredith will be an interesting guy to watch this summer since he played well in the second half of last season, while Parham is a decent starter and Munford is the wildcard, having played tackle the last three years.
Corner is a wide-open competition where we could be in for a surprise. A lot of people are expecting Jakorian Bennett to be one of the two starters, but Bennett primarily worked with the second team this spring while free-agent signing Eric Stokes took the starting reps. Then there's the ultra-talented Darien Porter, who will be a starter at some point, and it will be interesting to see how Decamerion Richardson progresses in year two. Finally, the nickelback spot is wide open as well.
Germaine Pratt’s signing might take out some of the drama at linebacker, as I’d expect Pratt and Elandon Roberts to be the Week 1 starters on early downs. But it is a pretty open competition in training camp where Devin White, Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer and Cody Lindenberg could make a push.
A: From what I understand, Bennett has been on the outside. I do like the idea of trying him in the slot, though.
Size-wise, that’s a better fit for him since he lacks length, and I think he has quickness to be an effective nickelback in coverage. Tackling would be an issue, though, as that’s been one of Bennett’s biggest weaknesses over the last two years.
Additionally, the Maryland product did take some reps on the inside in college. That being said, the majority of his experience is on the boundary.
A: Offensive line: Kolton Miller, Parham, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Alex Cappa, DJ Glaze, Jordan Meredith, Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant and Munford.
I don’t think there will be too much drama on the o-line since Miller, JPJ and Glaze are solidified starters while Parham, Cappa and Meredith should all at least make the team. And the two third-round picks aren’t getting cut. Munford is the one who I could see being a surprise cut if the coaching staff thinks Grant is ready for swing tackle duties. That could pave the way for Will Putnam or Jarrod Hufford to earn a roster spot.
Defensive line: Maxx Crosby, Adam...
