Raiders observations from mock game, first week in pads
The Raiders ended their workweek with a mock game at Allegiant Stadium in front of an estimated 18,000 fans on Saturday.
Pete Carroll wanted to simulate as close to a game-day environment as possible for his new team. The day included a pregame warmup, halftime and three quarters of play.
Among the highlights were the big day by quarterback Geno Smith, and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady watching from the sideline. The lowlight was the serious lower right leg injury suffered by safety Lonnie Johnson, which Carroll described as “significant.”
Here are some observations from the first week of pads and their mock game:
Great week for Geno Smith
The Raiders’ new quarterback came to life this past week. It wasn’t as if he was playing poorly before, but it was obvious he was still digesting and adapting to the new offense under Chip Kelly and an entirely new supporting cast.
By the time the pads came on last Monday, Smith started rolling and eventually stacked four solid practices together. He capped it all off Saturday by directing touchdown drives on all four of his possessions in the mock game.
Smith completed 6 of his first 8 passes on the opening drive, including a 6-yard scoring throw to Brock Bowers.
He was 3-for-3 on the second drive, completing two long passes to tight end Michael Mayer and an 11-yard TD throw to Bowers.
Yes, it was against the Raiders’ second-team defense. In other words, he didn’t have to deal with defensive end Maxx Crosby. But Smith has looked crisp and dynamic throughout camp, regardless of who he is lining up against.
Also worth noting were three red zone touchdowns he converted in the first half. Smith struggled in that situation last year in Seattle, where the Seahawks averaged 4.65 points per red zone appearance. That ranked 22nd in the NFL. Smith contributed to that by throwing a league-high four red zone interceptions.
His 3-for-3 effort on red zone touchdowns Saturday represents a step in the right direction.
Smith wrapped up his day with a 50-yard TD throw to Philip Dorsett, then converted the 2-point conversion on an RPO run in which he faked a counter handoff to his running back to the left, then ran right into the end zone.
Plenty of offensive weapons
In his first two drives Saturday, Smith threw the ball to six different targets and completed passes to five of them. Tre Tucker, Jakobi Meyers, Bowers Mayer and Ashton Jeanty all caught passes from Smith, with Mayer picking up three first downs on his catches and hooking up on two completions of more than 15 yards.
Smith missed on two throws to rookie Dont’e Thornton, one when he overthrew him on a long ball, the other when cornerback Decamerion Richardson had a nice pass breakup on an end zone throw.
Smith and Thornton eventually hooked up on a 19-yard touchdown to end the first half. It continued Thonrton’s big training camp.
Thornton and Jeanty are two newcomers to the group of weapons. Eventually, they will be joined by rookie wide receiver Jack Bech.
Their additions, coupled with the influence of Kelly and Smith, have changed the dynamic of the Raiders offense. Kelly’s expertise in getting all his weapons involved, coupled with Smith’s accuracy, significantly raises the floor of a Raiders offense that averaged just 18.2 points per game last year, which ranked 29th in the NFL.
Offensive line rotation continues
It’s becoming clearer by the day that Jordan Meredith is taking control of the starting center job. He lined up at the spot for the fourth straight practice.
Meanwhile, Jackson Powers-Johnson began the day as the first-team right guard. However, he was replaced by Alex Cappa on the second series, and alternated as the first-team right guard during the game.
With Powers-Johnson no longer in the center rotation, it appears Meredith is closing in on winning the job, if he hasn’t already.
While Meredith has not taken a regular-season snap at center, he’s been getting reps at that position during practice throughout his three seasons with the team.
“It’s a change, but it’s something that I’ve done in the past,” Meredith said.
Meredith played a career-high 574 offensive snaps last year, but they all came at either left or right guard. Carroll said this week that Meredith’s build — he stands 6 feet, 2 inches and weighs 301 pounds — might be a better fit at center.
“That’s what people say,” Meredith said. “But at the end of the day, I’m in here to compete and have fun and get out there in any position I can.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.