Oregon is moving into the second week of fall camp with its first scrimmage looming, and the Ducks are three weeks out from their season-opener against Boise State. If they want to start fast in September, the offense needs more than the obvious names to be ready when the lights come on.
That starts up front. Junior Fox Crader is widely expected to take over at blind-side tackle, and the pressure on him is obvious.
Oregon saw last season how quickly shaky tackle play can wreck an offense. When Dante Moore wasn’t pressured, he posted a 171.27 passer rating.
When the pocket broke down, that number dropped to 129.47. Crader isn’t the only piece in that equation - the rest of the line, the skill players and Moore himself all matter - but he’s the one with the toughest assignment.
He has only one career start, and that makes getting him ready by Week 1 a must, especially with Boise State’s Jayden Virgin-Morgan waiting in the opener.
The backfield has its own depth chart battle worth watching, and Da’Jaun Riggs is right in the middle of it. Oregon appears to have avoided an injury scare earlier this week and is expected to enter the 2026 season with its full group of running backs intact.
Even so, the Ducks need someone beyond Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. to grab hold of a role. That’s part of the job description in Dan Lanning’s offense, which has used three or four backs every season.
Riggs has had injury issues since breaking through late in 2024, but he’s healthy now, and a strong August could push him into the No. 3 spot. The timing matters, too.
He’s entering his redshirt sophomore season, and with four of the other five backs on the roster also underclassmen, slipping now could be difficult to recover from later.
Then there’s tight end Markus Dixon, who has a real chance to carve out a meaningful role if he finishes camp strong. Jamari Johnson is locked in as TE1, but the picture after him is much less settled.
That opens the door for Dixon to become the top backup and, in turn, a more important part of the offense. At Clemson, he was known mostly for his blocking and physical edge, but his offseason focus was on becoming a better pass catcher.
If that progress shows up, Oregon would have another big, physical target behind Johnson. Dixon is already a senior, which makes this season especially important.
And if younger tight ends like Andrew Olesh or Kendre Harrison are ahead of him when the first depth chart comes out, catching up may not be easy.
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