5 questions to answer as Raiders report for camp
An offseason that saw the Raiders name a new coaching staff, acquire several star players and shake up the upper management structure is just about over.
It’s time for football.
Rookies will report to camp on Monday with veterans set to follow on Wednesday to start preparing for the regular season-opener on Sept. 11 and the treacherous schedule that follows.
There are spots up for grabs all along the two-deep roster and final preparations to be done on implementing offensive and defensive systems.
The first glimpse of how those preparations are going will come with the Hall of Fame game against the Jaguars on Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.
Three more preseason games will follow and a whole lot of practice sessions at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center will help determine how ready the Raiders will be once the games count for real.
Many factors will go into determining that, but here are five of the biggest questions facing the team as they prepare to open training camp at the team facility in Henderson this week:
1. Alex Leatherwood?
The question of where the former first-round pick is going to line up and how much of a leap he will make in his second year has been asked so many times that it’s now possible to simply state his name as a query.
After struggling at right tackle for four games last season, he was moved inside to guard. Leatherwood didn’t find his footing there right away either, but he slowly started to figure it out by the end of the season.
While there are still too many poor reps and the mental errors really piled up, the talent is there.
Leatherwood lined up at tackle and guard during OTAs and mini-camp, so all eyes will be on him the first few days of camp to see where the team feels he should play.
The smart money is on right tackle, but there may not be an answer right away. Head coach Josh McDaniels has said he wants Leatherwood to be comfortable in both spots, so he may rotate some.
By the end of camp, it should be clear where Leatherwood will open the season. That’s the first step in determining who else could start on the offensive line.
There is so much talent at the skill positions in this offense. The line knows how much pressure is on them to make sure they have the time they need to succeed. It could be the single biggest factor in whether this team lives up to expectations.
2. How quickly will Derek Carr and Davante Adams re-discover their chemistry and how will their connection impact the rest of the pass catchers?
Carr has never been shy about his desire to play with Adams, his good friend and former college teammate. Adams showed he feels the same way by pushing for a trade to the Raiders.
They were a record-setting pair at Fresno State, but that was nearly a decade ago. They have also spent several offseasons throwing together and should be able to rekindle their chemistry fairly quickly.
Both Carr and Adams, who was recently named in a league survey the best receiver in the league, are tasked with learning a new system and they haven’t played together at this level.
It’s a process and one that will also impact the roles of other star pass catchers like Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller.
3. How quickly will the team pick up the new offensive and defensive systems?
The players are in place and the coaches have a plan. Now it has to be executed.
Those summer OTAs and mini-camps gave them an opportunity to put what they are learning in the classroom onto the field, so now it should be about fine-tuning everything.
It was a good sign that the pace of the practice sessions picked up as the summer moved along, a sign everyone was getting on the same page
4. How will the defensive rotation shake out on the interior of the defensive line?
The Raiders have the potential to have one of the most feared pass rushes in the league with proven commodities like Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones on the outside.
Several other players have the potential to get after the quarterback.
The team also added a bunch of big bodies to try to clog up the middle of the line of scrimmage as they switch from a 4-3 base to more of a 3-4. The defensive tackle position is massively important in the system, particularly the nose, and the Raiders hope a few names rise to the challenge.
Veterans Bilal Nichols, Jonathan Hankins, Andrew Billings, Vernon Butler, Kyle Peko and Tyler Lancaster are among a big group in the mix and the Raiders invested in the position in the draft as well.
5. What rookies will work their way onto the depth chart?
The first- and second-round picks in the draft were used to acquire Adams, so the Raiders had to go searching for contributors in later rounds.
There is plenty of buzz about running back Zamir White. Dylan Parham and Thayer Munford hope to work their way into the rotation on the offensive line, just like defensive tackles Matthew Butler and Neil Farrell on the other side of the ball.
There are always some undrafted surprises that make a splash in camp and force coaches to take an extra long look.
But will any of them be able to make enough of an impact to be on the official depth chart for Week 1? The answers will start to be revealed this week.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
