Raiders report: Rookie 2nd-round pick debuts; fans a welcome sight

Coach Antonio Pierce revealed the development just before the start of the session.

“The good news is we took him off (the physically unable to perform) list today, and he will be on the field,” Pierce said. “He’ll be limited. We have to ramp him back up.”

Wednesday’s practice was open to the public and drew an estimated 20,000 fans. The offense found some success throughout the evening, something it hadn’t been able to do very often during the first few weeks of camp in Southern California.

The practice ended with an Aidan O’Connell touchdown pass to Kristian Wilkerson in a two-minute drill.

Powers-Johnson, the second-round pick out of Oregon, wasn’t a huge part of the offense, as he was wearing a red no-contact jersey and will be easing his way back into action. He was impressive during offseason workouts but started training camp on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury and has been unable to join his teammates for full practices.

He had been expected to compete for the starting left guard spot with veteran Cody Whitehair, but Pierce questioned whether Powers-Johnson will have enough time to prove himself.

“We have a few weeks before we play a game,” Pierce said. “To sit here and say he’ll probably be a starter Week 1? Eh, probably not. It’s always smart with rookies not to rush them. First, there’s a learning curve and then they have to get back into practice shape and then game shape. He has a ways to go, but he’s done a good job off to the side on his own. Now he’s back, and we’re excited to have him.”

Starting left tackle Kolton Miller remains on the PUP list after offseason shoulder surgery, and projected starting right tackle Thayer Munford did not practice with the team Wednesday after leaving Tuesday’s session early.

Pierce indicated Munford is still dealing with a finger issue that has been lingering throughout camp.

“We’ll see how that goes,” Pierce said. “We’ll be smart with him. Obviously it’s something that’s been bothering him for a while.”

Putting on a show

Pierce said Wednesday’s practice was a good opportunity for the team to welcome fans into the new season after opportunities to watch practice were limited in Southern California.

“This is great,” he said, crediting team president Sandra Douglass Morgan for facilitating the event. “I think this is huge to obviously make this home-field advantage for us, and there’s a lot of people that can’t come to our home games because of the price, obviously. This is a great option for us to get in front of our fans, their energy, their passion, their love for the game, that really inspires our guys. It gets them going.”

Pierce said he could tell how excited the players were for the opportunity because of how early they boarded the bus from the team facility to head to the stadium.

“Guys were excited to get over here because it’s different when you play in front of your fans,” he said. “And then, more importantly, they got their family here as well. So, one thing we talked about as a team is creating that home-field advantage, and it starts with our fans and obviously our play.”

‘Competition’

Pierce had a one-word answer when asked why the team decided to add a fifth quarterback to the roster this week by signing veteran Nathan Peterman.

“Competition,” Pierce said.

O’Connell and Gardner Minshew continue to battle for the starting quarterback job, with a winner expected to be named early next week.

But Peterman provides depth and experience with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, having played for the Bears the past two seasons. Peterman also spent parts of several seasons with the Raiders between 2018 and 2021.

“It’s pretty crazy with the colliding of a couple worlds for me,” Peterman said of his return. “It’s just nice to be part of a familiar offense with some familiar faces. It’s a cool feeling to be back, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

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