Tonka Hemingway has spent much of Raiders training camp turning a real opening into something bigger.
Las Vegas is still sorting through a roster shaped by offseason additions under general manager John Spytek, but the Raiders also need the players already in place to take a step. That’s where Hemingway enters the picture. After a rocky team-wide season last year, he started flashing late and has carried that momentum into camp, where he has spent plenty of time with the first group at interior defensive line.
That role matters even more as the Raiders work through a new defensive scheme. Hemingway’s fit at the position has made him one of the more noticeable young defenders on the field, and veteran offensive lineman Spencer Burford noticed it too.
“I would say Tonka [Hemingway] has. He's made a couple of plays as far as flying around the ball. Quay [Walker], you got a rookie DB, [Hezekiah Masses], has been flying around making plays as far as in the back end,” Burford said after Thursday's practice, when asked which player on the Raiders' defense has stood out the most aside from Maxx Crosby.
“They got guys that's all around the defense that has really been flying around making plays day in, day out. Usually, any day that you come out here, you can find somebody new that's actually just popping out on film.”
Hemingway, now in his second season, says the biggest adjustment is internal as much as physical. He’s no longer thinking like a rookie, and he knows his game has to reflect that.
“I'm not a rookie no more, so just change your whole mentality. Now you can't go out there and really look like a rookie. You might have mistakes here and there, but you got to be able to correct those mistakes and go act like you are a vet,” Hemingway said following training camp.
There’s more to his game than just collapsing the pocket. Hemingway has been working to affect plays in whatever way he can, especially when he doesn’t get home on the rush.
“That's just something I learned when I was younger. They said if you can't get to the quarterback, put your hands up,” Hemingway said.
“You know sometimes you get put in bad positions, so you just want to be able to affect the game however you can. And if you can tip the ball up and get it to go up, catch a pick, that would change the whole game."
For the Raiders, the bigger picture is clear: the defensive line has to be a dependable rotation, and Hemingway is in the middle of that conversation. With only a handful of camp practices left, he looks to be one of the players carrying real weight on that unit.
He still has work to do to lock down his spot. But for a fourth-round pick entering Year 2, this is exactly the kind of stretch that can change the trajectory of a season - and maybe more. Training camp is about opportunity, and Hemingway has one sitting right in front of him.
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