Carr, Adams offer tantalizing glimpse of offense’s future

On a day in which the Raiders’ offense provided tantalizing clues of what might be possible this year, one play stood out above the rest during a joint practice against the New England Patriots on Tuesday.

On it, Davante Adams used a combination of a sudden burst and body fakes to get a step on his defender. He then glided up the field before glancing back over his right shoulder just as a ball thrown by Derek Carr fell perfectly into his hands.

It was one of a handful of successful connections between Adams and Carr, with each resulting in a big play and at least two that would have gone for long touchdowns.

They ranged from Carr delivering precise throws to Adams in stride against man coverage to locating him in soft spots in the Patriots’ zone defense to Adams using just one hand to haul in a completion.

That it all occurred against an opposing defense — a Bill Belichick-coached defense — in Carr and Adams’ first live-action together as teammates was both enlightening and enticing.

It offered some reassurance that Carr and Adams are growing together, both in their personal reunion and their understanding of a new offense, while also offering a glimpse of what might be in store when the Raiders open the regular season.

“On the field is what matters,” Carr said. “We can talk about it all we want, but if we can’t do it against our defense or against whoever comes to town, it’s a problem.”

On Tuesday, Carr and Adams were a big problem for the Patriots. Although for some, seeing that connection play out is already becoming old hat. “That’s every day since we started,” said Raiders running back Brandon Bolden.

By the end of a long, hot, early morning practice, the hookups between Carr and Adams — and those between Carr and Hunter Renfrow and others — helped the Raiders decidedly win the day against the Patriots. Their win crossed both sides of the ball, as the play of the Raiders’ defense resulted in some decidedly frustrated reactions by the Patriots’ offense. But it was the offense that carried an impressive day.

Even without tight end Darren Waller, who did not practice.

It was a small step in the right direction for an offense trying to set an explosive, balanced, versatile foundation.

“Just kind of seeing how we’re all starting to mesh together, how well we do play and complement each other in the run game, pass game,” Bolden said. “Just from a team aspect, to see all three units all go together is a sight to see.”

It doesn’t necessarily all start with Carr and Adams — and it’s important to keep in mind Waller adds a whole other dimension when he’s on the field — but the manner in which the two old friends surgically sliced and diced the Patriots at all three levels of their defense is proof of the powerful go-to element now available to the Raiders.

“Nothing’s promised, but we’ve been able to hit some big plays here and there,” Carr said.

Doing so means getting the necessary time to stand tall in the pocket and deliver the throw, and that only happens if the Raiders get their offensive line squared away. Specifically, the right side, where identifying a starting tackle has become priority number one.

As expected, with rookie Thayer Munford still dealing with an undisclosed injury, it was Jermaine Eluemunor getting the bulk of the starting right tackle reps against the Patriots with Alex Leatherwood subbing in behind him. Eluemunor held up well against the Patriots’ first-string defense, as did rookie left guard Dylan Parham, who seems to have nudged ahead of John Simpson for the starting job.

Combined with Kolton Miller at left tackle and Andre James at center, Carr was generally provided a safe pocket to work from on Tuesday. That comfort zone waned the deeper the Raiders dug into their depth chart, but the top group more than held its own both in pass protection and run blocking.

That doesn’t mean the Raiders have solved their offensive line issues, and it remains to be seen if Eluemunor’s recent surge means he will be the starting right tackle when the season opens or if the pendulum swings back to Munford or Leatherwood or to someone outside the Raiders building. But for one day, at least, the offensive line held its own against a traditionally solid NFL defense.

And in so doing, it allowed Carr, Adams, Renfrow and the rest of the Raiders’ skill players to provide a glimpse of how powerful this offense can be.

“It’s exciting and it’s fun to be able to have all those reps with the guys today,” said Carr. “But I still think that there’s always room, and certainly there is, to definitely improve.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.