Raiders report: Lineman finally healthy, able to keep weight on
Dylan Parham’s teammates have been raving about how much bigger and stronger the offensive lineman is entering his second season with the Raiders.
They’re not wrong.
Parham started all 17 games in a promising rookie season, including appearances at all three interior line positions, despite struggling to keep weight on and regain his strength after a difficult illness midway through the year.
“I came down with a really bad cold and I wasn’t really getting good rest, and I was so sick,” he said after Saturday’s training camp practice at the team facility in Henderson. “I ran a fever of like 102 before that Texans game, and I literally dropped maybe 12 pounds within three days.
“Literally the rest of the year I was trying to get back to how I felt, but with me burning so many calories throughout the week, just trying to fight back out of that hole. It was definitely tough for me.”
Despite the struggles, Parham played well enough to remain in the lineup, and he gained valuable experience.
“I feel like I had an OK rookie season, definitely a lot of things to learn from,” he said. “Even just watching film from last year, I was just like, ‘Why did I do that?’ But it was because I just wasn’t 100 percent comfortable. I was learning so much, and it was a lot of information put on me and it was a lot of load. But I just had to realize that, ‘OK, this is what the NFL is.’ So it’s not going to slow down for you, so you’ve just got to pick it up and keep moving.”
Parham started college at Memphis as a tight end and has continued to add mass and strength in an effort to find the ideal size at which he can excel.
He said he found that early in the season when he was around 315 pounds was when he played and felt the best. So this offseason, he set out to build his body back to that weight with additional power.
Parham said he’s right where he wants and needs to be and is excited to see the results after playing the majority of snaps at left guard down the stretch last season.
No update on Jacobs
Coach Josh McDaniels saved his shortest answer of Saturday’s news conference for when he was asked whether he had engaged in any communication with running back Josh Jacobs since training camp started.
“Nothing to add to that whole situation there,” he said, declining to specifically answer the question.
Jacobs, the leading rusher in the NFL last season, has not signed the franchise tag and is not under contract with the team after failing to reach an agreement on a multiyear deal before the July 17 deadline.
He must now play on the tag, sign a one-year deal with the team or sit out the season.
Back to basics
Cornerback Nate Hobbs missed his fourth consecutive practice Saturday after taking a fly ball to the face during a charity softball game last week, just days before the start of training camp.
“Nate is just one of the few guys that we have that are kind of working through a couple of things,” McDaniels said. “I think hopefully if he continues to progress here, we’ll see him out there in the not-too-distant future.”
He may have to put in some extra work on the side when he does return.
“We were talking about needing to show him how to catch those things in the indoor facility at night,” McDaniels laughed. “We’ve had a couple of jokes about that.
“But he’s doing fine.”
Special guests
Among those receiving invitations to view practice Saturday were several high school, youth football and flag football players from around the valley.
Community organizations like police and fire departments were also in attendance as part of a program that will continue Aug. 6.
Team officials, including president Sandra Douglass Morgan, along with Raiders alumni and the Raiderettes, interacted with the groups throughout the day.
It’s the third year for the program, which McDaniels said is important to the organization.
“I think it’s really important for us to do the right thing on the field, but also do the right thing off the field and in the community,” he said. “This organization has always stood for that, and it’s been clear to me since I set foot in this building that that’s a priority.
“And so being able to help those kids in this area, whether it’s equipment or an opportunity to witness us try to do our work, I think all the guys that play football know how much of a role model they become to our youth and how important our game is to those kids. Anytime we can give back to them, or help them in any way, that’s certainly been a goal that’s been very clear to me since I got here.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.