On July 21, the Las Vegas Raiders rookies will report to training camp. The veterans will join them two days later at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, California.
As the Raiders get back into the swing of football with padded practices, most fans have focused on their quarterback competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.
Obviously, the team’s quarterback battle will factor heavily into the offense’s success or failure.
But what about the quarterback’s supporting cast on both sides of the ball?
This offseason, the Raiders made significant changes to their roster. Based on the depth chart, they could rely on several young players to fill key roles.
Aside from the Raiders’ much-talked-about quarterback competition, they have a few X-factors that can change the complexion of their 2024 season. Let’s go through some scenarios at three key positions.
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Can the Las Vegas Raiders’ reshuffled offensive line outperform last year’s unit?
Last season, Raiders quarterbacks faced the least amount of pocket pressure at 15 percent. The club’s signal-callers only took 39 sacks combined. For comparison, seven quarterbacks took 39 or more sacks on their own.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Raiders offensive line 10th overall league-wide in 2023. The analytics site graded the unit as the sixth-best group in pass blocking.
While the Raiders’ offense struggled through most of the 2023 campaign, the front line had a quality year. Specifically, as a pass-blocking unit. But the club has moved on from a couple of starters and made a shift on the interior.
Las Vegas didn’t re-sign Jermaine Eluemunor, who played both tackle positions and right guard with the team over the last three years. Guard Greg Van Roten is still a free agent.
The Raiders didn’t add a veteran to compete with Thayer Munford Jr. for the open position at right tackle.
In the third round of this year’s draft, they selected DJ Glaze, who could develop into a swing tackle option. Andrus Peat, a 10th-year veteran, hasn’t played right tackle since his rookie year. For most of his career with the New Orleans Saints, he’s lined up on the left side of the line.
Munford will line up alongside Dylan Parham, who will transition from left guard to right guard in his third season. According to Pro Football Focus, Parham has played 110 snaps at right guard in two seasons.
When healthy, rookie second-rounder Jackson Powers-Johnson took snaps with the starters. Though, he battled a shoulder injury that sidelined him for multiple spring practices.
With two new starters and a returning player in a different position for full-time duty, the Raiders offensive line could go through an adjustment period under new position coach James Cregg. He comes over from the San Francisco 49ers.
If the unit holds up, Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew should have ample time in a clean pocket like the team’s quarterbacks did last year. Nonetheless, the five guys up front will need to establish some chemistry to maintain a reliable pass-blocking front and open lanes for the ground attack.
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Can Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer become a nightmare duo in matchups?
Regardless of who starts under center, the starting quarterback could have an advantage with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer lined up in two-tight end sets.
Bowers and Mayer have the potential to become the league’s best pass-catching tight end duo.
Bowers and Mayer spent three years on campus at Georgia and Notre Dame, respectively, and they both finished their collegiate careers with 175-plus catches, 2,000-plus receiving yards and 18-plus touchdown receptions. Bowers is the only two-time John Mackey Award winner in college football history.
As a rookie last season, Mayer showed some flashes, catching 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, but he has a lot of room for growth even with Bowers in the fold.
Under Luke Getsy, Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet saw a significant uptick in his receiving numbers, finishing with career highs in catches (73) and receiving yards (719) last year.
If Getsy taps into the pass-catching skill set of Bowers and Mayer, the offense could exceed expectations with O’Connell or Minshew. A big-bodied pass-catching tight end can be a quarterback’s safety blanket, and the Raiders have two high-end talents who could fill that role.
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Will Tyree Wilson and Byron Young complete a dominant defensive line?
In 2023, the Raiders finished ninth in defensive scoring, and the unit had a strong hand in a signature win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
Now, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has to help his group establish some consistency. With the New York Giants, Graham fielded the ninth-ranked scoring defense in 2020, and the unit regressed in the following campaign, dropping to 23rd in points allowed.
This offseason, the Raiders signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who could be a complement to Maxx Crosby. Malcolm Koonce has a chance to build on a breakout campaign in which he registered 43 tackles, nine for loss, eight sacks and 23 pressures.
Graham will work with three pass-rushers who could finish with double-digit sacks and tackles for loss and 30-plus pressures.
That being said, Tyree Wilson and Byron Young could take the defense to another level.
Last year, Wison missed most of the team’s offseason program as he recovered from foot surgery. He didn’t log his first sack until Week 7 against the Chicago Bears but made strides thereafter.
With Wilson’s size and strength, he could be an asset on the edge and, in a pinch, on the interior. If he takes a second-year leap, the defense should finish within the top 10 across the league in sacks and/or pressure rate.
As a rookie, Young played only 99 defensive snaps in six contests. He couldn’t crack the rotation, as both Adam Butler and John Jenkins had one of their best seasons.
Despite the quality talent at defensive tackle with Wilkins, Butler and Jenkins in key roles, Young can make an impact. Remember, most teams typically rotate five or six interior defensive linemen to keep guys fresh in the trenches.
While Wilson and Young will play in rotational spots behind surefire starters, they can provide quality depth, with the former playing more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps.
In order for the Raiders defense to make a jump from really good to an elite level, the team needs to see its 2023 first- and third-round picks turn potential into production.
Maurice Moton covers the Las Vegas Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.