Training camp can lie to you. A splash play here, a clean rep there, and suddenly it feels like a position group has been fixed. For the Las Vegas Raiders, though, the real story is less about one-off highlights and more about who keeps showing up when the work gets repetitive.
That’s where Jalen “Speedy” Nailor comes in.
The veteran free agent signing has started to separate himself in a wide receiver room that needed somebody to steady the ship after an uneven opening to camp. Rookie Malik Benson is improving every day, but Nailor is the pass-catcher making the clearest move right now, and the timing could hardly be better with concern growing around the viability of the receiver group.
After a rough Day 1 for the whole unit, Nailor began flashing on Day 2 and has kept stacking plays over the past week. USA Today’s Levi Damien pointed to a difficult catch Nailor secured in practice last week, and ESPN’s Ryan McFadden described a contested two-handed grab even though Kirk Cousins didn’t deliver a perfect throw and Eric Stokes was tight in coverage.
That kind of rep matters for a Raiders offense trying to find some consistency out wide. Nailor has also continued to get more involved beyond isolated catches, including a touchdown from Fernando Mendoza while working with the 2s and another from Cousins with the 1s.
The connection with Cousins has been noticeable enough that the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Sam Gordon said earlier this week that Cousins appears to be finding a rhythm with two targets in particular: Nailor and Brock Bowers. For a veteran receiver who arrived through free agency, that’s the kind of company that says he’s earning trust.
It hasn’t been spotless. Nailor dropped a pass during Sunday’s practice, and he had some trouble at times against Stokes in 1-on-1 work. But he also beat Treydan Stukes, a promising young defensive back, and later came down with several strong catches from Cousins once the pads were on.
The bigger picture is simple: after a shaky start from the Raiders’ receivers, Nailor is trending in the right direction. The rest of the group still has work to do, but Las Vegas at least has one veteran starting to make his presence felt in camp.
In Other News...
Raiders Suddenly Have A Right Tackle Problem They Can't Ignore
Training camp was always going to sort out the Raiders offensive line, but the early returns have only sharpened the focus on right tackle. DJ Glaze has been working there and the results have been uneven enough to draw attention, while the team continues to shuffle pieces elsewhere and look for the best way to stabilize the edge. Charles Grant is still backing up on the left side, and for now Las Vegas is leaning on a mix of young depth and undrafted competition rather than bringing in an established veteran.
Trey Zuhn III is one of the more interesting names in that mix, because he has already been moved into right tackle work with the second-unit offense after spending time at guard and center. That kind of reshuffling usually says as much about the coaching staffs urgency as it does about the players versatility. The Raiders do not need a camp battle that lingers much longer, though, because right tackle is quickly becoming one of the spots they can least afford to leave unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders First Padded Practice Exposed One Concern Fans Cant Ignore
The Raiders moved into their first padded training camp practice under new head coach Klint Kubiak, and that shift brought a more revealing look at where the roster stands. It was the kind of session that tends to separate early camp noise from something a little more real, with veterans and young players alike getting a clearer test in fuller contact. Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers were both back on the field after injury, and their presence immediately raised the level of the group around them, while rookie Fernando Mendoza showed flashes and some uneven moments as he starts the long process of settling in.
DJ Glaze, though, remains one of the more pressing watch points for the Raiders as the line work gets tougher and the margin for error shrinks. In padded practice, that side of the offensive front can tell you a lot about how quickly a team is coming together, and Glazes performance did not make that conversation any easier to ignore. For a team trying to establish itself under a new coaching staff, those early camp reps matter because they hint at which problems are temporary and which ones may need a lot more solving. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Quarterback Battle Is Showing Why This Offense Needs Time
The Raiders quarterback room has become one of the most watched parts of training camp, and for good reason. With Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza joining returning quarterback Aidan OConnell, Las Vegas suddenly has multiple passers trying to get comfortable in a new offensive scheme under a new coaching staff, and the early days have looked like what usually happens in a true installation period: some clean stretches, some rough ones, and plenty of learning on the fly.
For the Raiders, the bigger takeaway may be less about who is ahead right now and more about how much work still needs to be done before this offense looks settled. The quarterbacks are competing, sure, but they are also working together to sharpen the system and help the group improve collectively, which suggests this camp is as much about building the foundation as it is about deciding a pecking order. [Read more 🡒]