Is Raiders’ Alex Leatherwood falling behind at right tackle?

Alex Leatherwood said all the right things when he spoke to the media after practice on Saturday. From maintaining a positive outlook to embracing the competition for the right tackle position to continuing to work on his craft, the Raiders’ second-year offensive lineman hit on all the expected topics.

But it was the manner in which he expressed himself that raised eyebrows.

On the same day rookie Thayer Munford took some first- and second-team reps that have typically been set aside for Leatherwood, the former Alabama standout was subdued while talking to the media.

“Overall I feel good,” Leatherwood insisted. His tone told a different story.

“It’s all about going in each day, keeping your head down and working,” he said when asked about the battle he faces to earn a starting role. “Make the main thing the main thing. Do my work. They do their work. Have fun and compete.”

But on a day in which he seemed to fall a step or two off the pace for the starting job, the fun part was hard to detect.

In fact, at this point in camp, it is obvious that a competition is brewing at right tackle and that Leatherwood has a fight on his hands to claim it. Be it with Brandon Parker, the veteran who finished last season as the starter, or anyone the Raiders might bring in via free agency, trade or the waiver wire.

“It’s too early to sit here and try to say where it’s at. But there are multiple guys in there that are competing,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said. “They know that; they all know it.”

Based on the distribution of the tackle reps on Saturday, that battle extends from the starting job right on down the line.

As evidenced at one point on Saturday by how Munford, a seventh-round pick from Ohio State, was the next man up behind Parker, who has been getting the majority of first-team reps, with Leatherwood getting snaps with the third team.

The significance of the switch-up will be better measured when the Raiders get back to work on Sunday ahead of a trip to Canton to play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday.

Maybe it was just a temporary heads-up to Leatherwood to kick it up a notch. It wouldn’t be the first time coaches delivered an in-practice wake-up call to a young player.

But it might also be an accurate reflection of where Leatherwood stands in the competition. Eight practices into camp, there hasn’t even been a hint of Leatherwood gaining ground on Parker, let alone nudging him aside for the starting job.

In fact, he moved in the opposite direction on Saturday.

Whatever leeway he had from the previous staff, especially being a first-round pick, has completely vanished. McDaniels and the Raiders’ new decision-makers have made it abundantly clear they are operating from a clean slate relative to what the depth chart looked like prior to their arrival six months ago.

That is great news for a player like Lester Cotton, who toiled in development obscurity the last three years only to emerge as the odds-on favorite to win the right guard position under McDaniels. But it is a different situation entirely for Leatherwood.

Keep in mind everyone in the Raiders building who had a vested interest in Leatherwood’s success — from Jon Gruden to Mike Mayock to former offensive line coach Tom Cable — is no longer around. That means Leatherwood will earn his role based entirely on performance rather than any sort of validation for Gruden and Mayock.

Remember, Mayock and Gruden were roundly criticized for making Leatherwood the 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft. They were going to give him every opportunity to prove them right.

McDaniels and Ziegler have no such emotional ties to Leatherwood. If he is the best option to help the Raiders win, he will play. If not, they will not hesitate to play someone else..

“We are going to try play the best 11 guys on every snap,” McDaniels said. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s the best thing for the team.”

Leatherwood still has time to prove he is among the best 11 offensive players. But it’s obvious he has a big fight on his hands to do so.

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