Raiders report: Stars shining on special teams, while rookies impress

Raiders holder AJ Cole and kicker Daniel Carlson haven’t had to worry too much about would-be rushers getting around the edge in training camp.

That’s because star defensive end Maxx Crosby has been lining up as a blocker on field goals.

“I mean, how much more trust can you have in a guy?” Cole said Monday. “That’s someone you know is going to give everything he’s got every single play. I think it’s good to have him out there. I just respect that a guy that’s getting paid what he’s getting paid, who has the accolades that he has, (is taking) something like field goal as seriously as he’s taking it.”

Crosby’s extra work on special teams is a fun training camp story. It also a serves as an example for the entire Raiders roster.

“We’ll see if he ends up out there on game day, but I think that the fact he’s out there in practice sends a message to the rest of the team that there’s no job too small, no detail unimportant and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win,” Cole said. “And we’re going to have the 11 best on the field on every single play, whoever that 11 is.”

It seemed far-fetched at first that Crosby, who signed an extension this offseason that briefly made him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, would block on field goals during the regular season. But special teams coordinator Tom McMahon insisted the 27-year-old’s participation wasn’t just for show.

“We’re not going to waste reps,” McMahon said. “Everybody that’s out there, that’s a position they’re possibly going to play in the season. If I use Maxx on field goal and we’re not going to ever use him during the season, it’s not good coaching. We’re wasting reps. So everybody is competing for a position, and he’s trying to win that job.”

McMahon’s philosophy applies to first-round running backs as well.

He praised rookie Ashton Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft, for the job he’s done in the return game so far. McMahon said Jeanty, 21, has stayed humble and looked smooth fielding kicks.

McMahon expects the NFL’s new kickoff rules to create more opportunities for big plays, which is why it could make sense to give Jeanty opportunities as a returner.

“Our best kick returner, regardless of who they are, where they’re drafted, that’s a guy that’s going to play,” McMahon said. “I think that’s what every (team) is going to do.”

Play of the day

Rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. has done a great job early in training camp of showing he’s more than just a one-dimensional deep threat, which is what many analysts considered him to be entering the draft.

But the fourth-round pick did what he does best Monday.

Thornton, 22, got a bit of separation from rookie cornerback Darien Porter down the left sideline and caught a pass from quarterback Geno Smith in stride for about a 70-yard touchdown in an 11-on-11 team drill.

It was a tremendous throw by Smith and brought the estimated crowd of 1,400 at the Raiders’ Henderson practice facility to its feet.

“That felt great,” Thornton said. “As a little kid, growing up and playing in the NFL was always my lifelong dream, so being able to come out here every single day and live out that dream is amazing to me. Then, just knowing that Geno and the whole offense have the trust and belief in me to take a shot like that with me (is great). So now that they believe in me, it makes me want to work harder every single day.”

Still, Thornton has enjoyed showing off the rest of his route tree in camp.

“I definitely would say I take pride in that because like my whole college career and especially going into the draft process, the biggest knock on me was that I wasn’t a true route runner when it comes to intermediate to medium route running,” he said. “So just being able to display it at a high level while I’m playing in the NFL now, I guess it’s like a way of proving people wrong. But I don’t really care about proving people wrong. It’s more so for me.”

Sky’s the limit

Porter, despite losing that rep to Thornton, continues to spend a lot of time with the first-team defense.

The third-round pick is the kind of physical freak Carroll loves at cornerback. Porter, 24, is already playing well enough to earn snaps his first season, an impressive feat for someone who was on offense most of his college career.

Veteran cornerback Eric Stokes, who is expected to start for the Raiders, is in awe of Porter’s potential.

“Man, his ceiling is high,” Stokes said. “Like again, it’s only his second year, I believe, playing (cornerback), and he’s still learning. He’s still figuring out multiple different things, and he’s pretty much like a sponge. He’s taking in so much information and listening to everything, trying new techniques and doing every little thing. There will be multiple days on film and you’ll see a rep like, ‘Man, that’s a rep, DP.’ ”

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