5 things to watch: Raiders vs. Rams

NAPA, Calif. — The Raiders will don their legendary uniforms and play on their home field at RingCentral Coliseum for the only time this preseason when they meet the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

Well, at least some of them will.

Coach Jon Gruden saw plenty of his starters as the Raiders and Rams had two joint practices in Napa on Wednesday and Thursday.

The first preseason game will give players lower on the depth chart a chance to prove themselves.

“You’re not going to see some of the starters,” Gruden said Thursday. “You’re just not going to see them. You saw them today. You saw them yesterday. They took about 120 reps, so we’re going to take a look at some young players, some guys that need the opportunity.”

Gruden suggested that some of the rookies who project as starters might see limited snaps Saturday, a group that includes safety Johnathan Abram, running back Josh Jacobs and receiver Hunter Renfrow.

Here are five things to watch:

1. Who steps up at guard?

Starting left guard Richie Incognito will miss the first two games of the regular season because of suspension.

Starting right guard Gabe Jackson was carted off the practice field Thursday and is expected to miss eight weeks.

Denzelle Good’s return is still uncertain as he recovers from an offseason back injury. The team might look outside the organization for help at the position, but players already on the roster undoubtedly see an opportunity and will be looking to earn the coaching staff’s trust.

Denver Kirkland got first-team reps after Jackson was hurt, and Jordan Devey, predominantly a center in practice this offseason, also saw action there. Jonathan Cooper is expected to start on the left side in Incognito’s absence as he looks to make a case for a long-term role.

2. Gruden eager to watch Jacobs

Jacobs is expected to get a heavy workload in the regular season and has shown flashes of his ability, including in the practices against the Rams. Gruden wants to see how the rookie from Alabama holds up in a game.

“Yeah, you know we have to use (the practices) as preseason in some ways,” Gruden said. “We’re not going to go out and give Josh Jacobs 35 or 40 carries in (exhibition games), but he carried the ball a lot in the last two days. I think you see vision. You see patience, and you see burst. And what you haven’t seen is live full speed tackling, and hopefully he gets a couple shots in August, but our fans will to have to wait to see most of that when the Broncos come to town (in Week One).”

3. Cole to see plenty of work

Punter A.J. Cole has made a strong case to unseat incumbent Johnny Townsend and now gets a chance to showcase his booming kicks in a game.

The biggest question about Cole is how he performs as a holder, one of Townsend’s strongest qualities.

Cole also can kick off and is expected to handle those duties Saturday.

4. Who’s No. 2 to No. 4?

The battle between Nathan Peterman and Mike Glennon to be quarterback Derek Carr’s backup drew national attention when Gruden offered a rave review of Peterman’s development, but Glennon is a capable veteran who didn’t throw five interceptions in his first NFL start.

Both quarterbacks should get plenty of work with Carr not expected to play.

5. Establish an attitude

If there has been a quarterback victimized by more punchlines than Peterman in the past two years, it might be Blake Bortles.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars starter will play the first few series for the Rams in place of starter Jared Goff.

“I think he’s had a really good camp,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of Bortles. “Good leadership, good command, being able to get in and out of the huddle and make the other 10 guys around him better. He’s done that.”

Even without some of their top players on defense, the Raiders will want to set an aggressive tone in getting to the quarterback and forcing turnovers after struggling in both areas last season.

The players say they are getting more comfortable with the intricacies of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s system in his second year. It’s time to prove it.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.