Sportsnaut
Before the opening week of the 2025 season, the Las Vegas Raiders will battle amongst themselves. Young veterans should feel the pressure of head coach Pete Carroll’s message of fierce competition.
We’re still two months away from padded practices at training camp, but the Raiders’ player evaluation process has been underway since general manager John Spytek and Carroll joined the organization.
New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will implement changes, and so will Carroll on the defensive side of the ball.
Three players could fall out of favor with the new coaching staff. Here are the Raiders who may lose their starting jobs this offseason.
Dylan Parham lined up at left guard in his first two years and then shifted to right guard last season. According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Alex Cappa is the “early favorite” to start at right guard, leaving the left guard position open for competition.
Parham must improve in pass protection to win either starting job at guard. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed five sacks in 2024. As an athletic offensive lineman who moves well in space, Kelly’s system can either help or hurt his chances at retaining a starting position.
With Cappa on the right side, Parham, Jordan Meredith and rookie third-rounder Caleb Rogers will battle for the starting position on the left side. Remember that Cappa has only played on the right side of the line in his seven-year career.
Between his rookie and second year, Tre Tucker progressed from an occasional deep-ball threat to a higher-volume pass-catcher. He caught 47 passes for 539 yards and three touchdowns last season, starting in 14 out of 17 games.
In this year’s draft, Las Vegas double-dipped at receiver, taking Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.
Reed noted that Bech was “consistently open” during an OTA practice.
Bech is a polished receiver with few drops in his collegiate years. He could quickly earn the coaching staff’s trust as the No. 2 receiver. Quarterback Geno Smith will show whom he trusts more between Tucker and Bech when the Raiders operate out of three-receiver sets.
Don’t be surprised if Tucker comes off the field for Thornton (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) when Kelly wants to take advantage of a matchup against smaller cornerbacks.
While it would be a surprise to see Jakorian Bennett in a backup role because of his solid 2024 campaign, he’s not a lock to start on the boundary.
Last season, Bennett missed seven games because of injury. This offseason, Carroll flexed his influence on the defense as the Raiders added size to their secondary, drafting 6-foot-2, 195-pound Darien Porter and signing 6-foot-3, 220-pound safety Jeremy Chinn.
Porter and Eric Stokes will compete for a starting job, though Decamerion Richardson could be an X-factor in the cornerback battle. If Richardson shows improvement, his 6-foot-2, 188-pound frame may appeal more to Carroll in his vision for the...
