The Raiders are about to get their first real game action of the summer, and with preseason opening Thursday at 5:00 p.m. PST against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium, the camp battles are no longer theoretical. They’re getting live reps, live evaluation, and a whole lot more pressure.
Las Vegas has already worked through nine training camp practices, and the big-picture difference from last year is obvious: this team is fighting over jobs, not trying to find whether it has playable talent. The top questions now are about who should start, and five spots in particular are beginning to separate as the preseason arrives.
The most combustible fight might be at right guard. Once the offensive line finished its install, the Raiders began mixing Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers with the first unit there.
Powers-Johnson had been the incumbent, but Rogers has pushed hard enough to make this a real rotation. Rogers also got banged up during Saturday’s practice, though it’s not clear whether he actually suffered an injury.
He was out for the team period and didn’t return, which could matter in a competition this tight. The opener should at least offer another clue, but this one feels like it’ll take either a practice surge or a preseason statement to settle.
At cornerback, Eric Stokes appears set on one side, but the other starting job is still open. Darien Porter, Zeke Masses and Jermod McCoy are all in the mix, with McCoy still managing a complex health regimen while learning the league.
The Raiders and new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard will show their hand on Thursday with the first-team defense, and that choice will say plenty. Even so, this is the kind of spot that may keep turning over into the regular season, because there are too many young, interesting options to crown anyone just yet.
Deep safety is shaping up the same way. Isaiah Pola-Mao has held the starting job in preseason work, while rookie Treydan Stukes has been pressing for first-team reps.
Stukes is working at both nickel and free safety, so there’s room for him to rotate in no matter how the depth chart looks on paper. Pola-Mao and Stukes both should see the field, but the label of starter still carries weight, and that part is unresolved as the first exhibition game nears.
The wide receiver battle for WR3 has taken a turn too. Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor have been the top two all offseason and are likely to start, especially with Las Vegas expected to lean on 12 personnel.
Behind them, though, Malik Benson has been the camp standout. The rookie sixth-round pick looks like the best candidate to climb into the No. 3 role and could even get first-team snaps.
Jack Bech has had some good moments, and he and Benson offer different skill sets that can fit together, but unless Bech or Dont’e Thornton Jr., who is dealing with an injury right now, makes a move, Benson could pass them on the depth chart.
And then there’s the biggest one of all: quarterback.
Kirk Cousins’ suspension from the team period during Saturday’s practice gave Fernando Mendoza his first chance to work with the first-team offense, and the rookie made it count. The more he gets on the field, the more he forces the issue on Cousins, Klint Kubiak and the rest of the staff. Preseason is built for players like Mendoza, not veteran passers, so he should get a healthy amount of run and a chance to keep showing what he can do.
Cousins has no room to coast here. Mendoza was given an opening, and he took it.
That means the race to start Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins is still alive, and it may stay that way until the Raiders make a final call. If Mendoza wins it, the competition ends.
Until then, this one is very much on.
In Other News...
Deven Thompkins Is Making A Real Raiders Roster Push
Deven Thompkins arrived in Las Vegas shortly before training camp as an undrafted player from the 2022 class, but he has spent the early portion of camp making a legitimate case to stick. The receiver has drawn positive reviews in practice, standing out in wideout drills and adding value as a return option on special teams, which gives him more than one way to carve out a role.
For a player trying to force his way onto a roster, that kind of versatility matters, and Thompkins has backed it up with a few eye-catching moments in camp sessions. He also comes into the building with familiarity around key people in the organization, which only adds to the sense that this is more than a long shot audition. If he keeps stacking those reps, the Raiders may have a tougher decision than expected when roster cuts arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Camp Suddenly Has A New Quarterback Tension Point
Raiders camp picked up a fresh layer of intrigue this week as the quarterback room started to take shape and the coaching staff continued sorting out the rest of the roster around it. Kirk Cousins spoke about his place atop the depth chart, while head coach Klint Kubiak and cornerback Jermod McCoy offered a broader look at where things stand with roles, health and workload as the team keeps moving through camp.
The quarterback conversation matters because it can ripple well beyond one spot on the field, especially for a team still trying to settle its identity under a new set of decisions. McCoys return from a torn ACL is another piece worth watching, and the Raiders are still juggling how much to push him as the ramp-up continues. Elsewhere in the division, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was back at practice after a leave for personal matters, and Andy Reid was still praising Kahlil Bensons ability to move around up front. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders D Line Is Building An Identity Fans Will Notice Fast
The Raiders defensive line is starting to take on a feel that goes beyond scheme and individual talent. Coach Travis Smith said the group is being shaped around listening and communication, with an emphasis on players understanding not just their own jobs but how they fit into the room. Along the way, Smith pointed to Tonka Hemingways quiet effectiveness, Thomas Booker IVs versatility and the steady work of rookies Cian Slone and Keyron Crawford as examples of the kind of traits that are beginning to define the unit.
What makes that approach interesting is the way the veterans are being asked to help drive it from inside the locker room. Smith said the older players have a role in mentoring the younger linemen and helping build a player-led culture, which can matter just as much as anything happening on the practice field. For a defense that wants its front to set the tone, this is the kind of foundation that can show up quickly once the season starts, even before the biggest names grab the headlines. [Read more 🡒]