Raiders who have shined in camp? The fans are asking
Nearly two weeks into training camp, Raiders fans have tons of questions about how things are going.
Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:
NFL Trades (@nfl_trades): Who has really stood out to you in camp so far?
VINCENT BONSIGNORE: Wide receivers Hunter Renfrow, Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers. Tight end Michael Mayer. Cornerback Jakorian Bennett. Safety Isaiah Polo-Mao. Running back Zamir White.
Matt Berger (@matt_berger): Any big concerns after the first few days with pads? Any particular group that needs real help?
VB: This has been a fairly crisp and impressive camp, even without Josh Jacobs not there and young defensive linemen Tyree Wilson, Byron Jones and Neil Farrell unable to practice thus far.
Linebacker continues to be an area the Raiders are monitoring, although they appear confident in Divine Deablo and Robert Spillane as two primary starters, with Luke Masterson continuing to compete for a starting role. The question is, if one of those three go down, can the Raiders count on a relatively inexperienced group of backups to provide relief? That was part of the idea of adding veteran Darius Harris this week. They might not be done tinkering at that spot, either.
RaiderCam��☠️ (@CameronPark81): I’ve been hearing a lot about Marcus Peters in camp so far but not much about Tre’von Moehrig. I know a lot of eyes are on him in his second year in this defense. How has he looked so far?
VB: Moehrig, the Raiders’ third-year safety, had some nice moments on Friday but he’s largely been more just “there” than making his presence felt on the practice field. That changed a bit on Friday with some pass breakups, but the Raiders need him to do more of that.
John Richardson (@JohnIsaac55): Why are the Raiders kicking money down the road with Jakobi Meyers’ contract. Plus, they are still paying Carl Nassib and Cory Littleton this year. Don’t they want clean books for the future? What is the thought process?
VB: By converting $3.92 million of Meyers’ base salary into a signing bonus, the Raiders created $3.136 million in 2023 cap space. But they are not literally kicking any of that money down the road, as he makes all of it upfront in a bonus rather than in 2023 or future salary. And by adding two void years in 2026 and 2027, they were able to create some immediate relief with virtually no impact on the future. His $1.5 million cap hit in 2026 and $784,000 hit in 2027 are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
As for Littleton and Nassib, these are situations the current Raiders front office inherited from the previous regime. But it is important to note, they are no longer paying either player. Both have received all money owed by the Raiders, although they do count against the club’s cap this year for a combined $15 million.
marie brow (@mbcaron78): Is the focus on short and intermediate passes more in line with how Josh McDaniels wants to run the offense? Is this change helping the offense itself, or is the team still adjusting to the differences from last year’s offense?
VB: The short answer is yes. Just based on camp observations, the entire offensive operation seems much more fast-paced. Whether that transfers to the regular season remains to be seen.
Rudd (@its_Rudyy): How is the defensive tackle room looking like? Jerry Tillery to be exact.
VB: Tough to tell with two key players not able to practice yet. But when Neil Farrell and Byron Young are able to get on the field, they will presumably lift what already looks like an improved group even higher. Tillery looks good.
rdesai711 (@rdesai711): Will Aidan O’Connell beat out Brian Hoyer for the backup quarterback job?
VB: Not immediately. But somewhere down the line this season, it would be a surprise if he didn’t take that spot.
Erik (@EazyE11Bang): From what you have observed throughout camp, who’s most likely to line up on the other side of Marcus Peters?
VB: Jakorian Bennett.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
