Go Inside Raiders Training Camp & What I Saw Today?

·     While I can’t and won’t share schematic details, many of the things Raider Nation has been bemoaning for the entirety of my six years covering this team are being addressed.

·     Certainly, a lack of pads would hasten one to tap the brakes, but early indications are that this is going to be an offense the Silver and Black faithful are going to love.

·     I spent significant time today with the offensive line.  True offensive lineman Thayer Munford’s footwork, to me, was the best I have ever seen from the proud Buckeye.  In several drills, he moved fluidly to his right and left.

·     Interestingly, he has played well for a young player, but it is evident he has worked diligently on that part of his game.

·     I shared with you last year that the Raiders liked UDFA Will Putnam.  While I still think he is destined for the practice squad on a team that is loaded with offensive linemen, he is improving, appears to be in terrific shape, and is demonstrating that he may not be ready to make the 53-man roster in 2025; however, he is well on his way.

·     Sticking with the offensive line, I want to talk about rookie OT Charles Grant.

·     The youngster is an absolute sponge.  He is swimming right now, in my opinion, as he makes the major leap to the National Football League, but his willingness to learn and take corrections from coaches and teammates will go a long way for the young man.

·     You want FAT players.  Faithful, Available, and Teachable, and that is Grant.

·     Alex Bachman, the second-year WR, keeps doing things that show up on film.  He is explosive, and his effort is impressive.

·     There is a spot to be won at WR on this roster, and Bachman is doing everything he can to get seen.

·     Multiples today, and in the offseason, he has made his presence known.  Remember that young man.

·     Today’s ones on the OL were LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Jackson Powers-Johnson, RG Alex Cappa, and RT Delmar DJ Glaze.

·     I wouldn’t read anything into that other than the LG battle is going to be intense, and they are experimenting and competing.

·     I know that RB Raheem Mostert is incredibly talented.  However, he appears to be back and healthy, and today, he demonstrated his balance, which was nothing short of stunning.

·     His athleticism is impressive, and his balance is not reflective of a man who is injured.  While I am not a doctor, his balance looked impossible, even if he was healthy, let alone if he wasn’t.

·     He was nearly parallel to the ground and with one hand pushed his body up like a one armed push up, regained balance and never stopped moving forward.

·     WOWZA.  Until I learn differently, there is a block S under that jersey.

·     That is an easy opinion to have without pads on, but all we can judge is what we saw today, and he looked great.

·     Every single day, RB Ashton Jeanty does something to show off the athleticism that made him the best RB in the 2025 NFL Draft.

·     He made a jump cut today for a long TD that simply left the defender in his wake, trying to tackle the wind.

·     He is a back that runs aggressively behind his pads, something that usually doesn’t show up in shorts. Monday can’t get here soon enough to see that side of his game.

·     Sincere McCormick and Zamir White are firmly locked in a battle for RB3, and both had nice practices today.

·     McCormick broke off a long TD and continues to run angry.

·     Don’t construe that to be criticism of White, it isn’t.  He also had a great run, and both men competing is what Pete Carroll craves, and it is what he got.

·     That competition is making both of those young men better, and the Raiders for sure.

·     While there is ZERO QB competition to anyone here at practice, that doesn’t mean that Aidan O’Connell is digressing.  He isn’t.

·     Today, he showed off a quick release, and one that up to this point I had never seen him use.

·     He didn’t and hasn’t played as well as Geno Smith, but the young man is getting better, and the gap between him and Cam Miller is wider than the gap between him and Geno Smith. There is NO comparison between the Boilermaker and Smith.

·     O’Connell missed a terrific touchdown opportunity, but on the very next play, in the red zone, he flashed his quick release like an old west gunfighter for a quick strike touchdown in which he threw an absolute strike in a very tight window.

·     It is throws like that that make it easy to say we haven’t seen enough to rule him out as a QB1 in this league, and it was passes like the previous one that makes us declare we haven’t seen enough to say he is.

·     O’Connell is a terrific young man with a ton of talent; he now has to find consistency.  Don’t bet against him; people did Geno Smith.

·     That touchdown pass was to TE Carter Runyon, who made a terrific bang-bang play.

·     I reported on Wednesday that the Raiders will consider keeping four tight ends.  I am not predicting that they do it, but they are considering it, and Chip Kelly loves the weapons in that room.

·     Without revealing anything schematic, I can tell you that the Raiders' tight ends are very active, and Geno Smith and Brock Bowers have already established a special bond.

·     TE Ian Thomas is like the Energizer Bunny.  He is just a steady force.  He keeps making plays and is very disciplined.

·     I mentioned on Wednesday that Qadir Ismail, the young TE, survived the field like a QB.  I was informed by his father, the legendary “Missile,” Qadry “The Missile” Ismail, that he indeed did play QB in his recent past.

·     QB Cam Miller isn’t NFL-ready yet.  But you can see it.  The young man is swimming in the NFL and should be, like most rookies. 

·     You can also see what Tom Brady liked about him.

·     Raiders GM John Spytek told reporter Dan Pompei of The Athletic after the draft that, "He (Brady) liked the way (Miller) threw it, his technique, throwing from the ground up and his motion."

·     Under pressure today, it was nice to see QB Geno Smith wait until the last second and then scramble for a TD.

·     Geno is not the same QB many remember from his youth.

·     He now uses his athleticism as a weapon, and not as a crutch like many young men, blessed with his talent, do.

·     That type of discipline can only come with patience and maturity, which is why people have to be patient with young QBs.

·     Collin Johnson, the young WR, and Darnay Holmes, the veteran CB, were battling today.  It was fascinating to watch the competition at all levels of the team that Pete Carroll is building.

·     Carroll wants a culture of competition, and while it is early, it is developing.

The Defense

·     Maxx Crosby is the best defender in the NFL, and at Raiders practice, he is the best player.  On any side of the ball.

·     He anticipated the snap today on play, and was in the backfield before the OL even moved.

·     He nearly had another interception. 

·     While I am not ashamed to admit my bias, is it bias if it is true?  I think not.

·     Remember that there are officials at practice, and he spends the entire day running up and down the field wreaking havoc. 

·     His nickname is the Condor, but it should be the destroyer.

·     A name I have not talked about before is JT Woods, the safety.  Today, his effort was evident every time he got on the field.

·     I don’t think he can make the 53-man roster, but the 2nd year player out of Baylor flashed the skills that get young men on the practice squad, and the effort is what eventually earns them spots.

·     Pete Carroll told us today that Jamal Adams is a WILL LB.  His speed is awe-inspiring.

·     I asked Carroll if he saw his role as primarily as a pass rusher, and he doesn’t.  With that speed, he is going to let him compete as a three-down backer.

·     It is no secret that I like LB Amari Gainer.  Today, watching him move laterally and vertically was the most comfortable I have seen him.

·     What else I like about the young man is that he is grabbing reps on defense and special teams. 

·     Gainer is hungry to make the roster, and he is trying to put a ton of film out there for John Spytek and Pete Carroll to see, so he can’t be ignored.

·     Lonnie Johnson, the perennial special teams star and Raiders free agent, made his presence felt in a big way today at camp.

·     He has played well since arriving in the desert, but today, with a monster pass rush, QB Geno Smith made his only bad pass, and Johnson turned on the jets, accelerated, picked off the pass, and was off to the races.

·     If that man can be more than a special teams star, the Raiders are in terrific shape at S.

·     LB Devin White and CB Sam Webb were celebrating today after a big play.  What stood out to me is what I call the “Pete Carroll Syndrome.”

·     Carroll is instilling in these players that they PLAY a game.  They PLAY a game.  They need to find their first love and start having fun.

·     Players having fun play fast and have more success.

·     Watching White and Webb was like watching a group of young men playing in the backyard at Grandma’s on Thanksgiving afternoon.

·     Pete Carroll’s enthusiasm is catching on, and while it was a good play, it was not the type of play that would have been celebrated like it was in my previous five seasons covering the Silver and Black, under any coach.

·     These men are having fun, and that says something.

·     Adam Butler, the talented DT, is having a terrific camp.  As both a leader and a player, Butler is a disruptive force that looks to be playing like a man on a mission.

·     Patrick Graham and Rob Leonard love Butler, and he has done nothing but reward their loyalty to him.

·     I am very excited to see him on Monday with pads on.

·     I have seen Butler as a leader in the past, but this offseason, he has developed that into almost an assistant coach role.  He is taking the young guys under his wing and there is nobody better to learn from than him.

·     Speaking of impressive men, Tyree Wilson is playing like the youngster we saw in college.

·     Hearkening back to the second half of 2023, Patrick Graham is using him inside and outside, and he is fluid, athletic, and having fun.

·     His athleticism, size, and physique should be illegal, but he has the perfect defensive end body, and his effort and heart are showing up.

·     Today, while being held, he pressured Geno Smith on more than one occasion, and spent most of the day in the Raiders' backfield.

·     Sure, the OL had no pads, and that is a legitimate point, but Tyree is on a mission, and Monday, for that young man, can’t come soon enough.

·     Many times since John Spytek signed CB Eric Stokes, I have told you that if he can back to being healthy, he can be the superstar he was as a rookie.

·     He sure looks it.  He made more than one play today, but he is playing at a terrific pace and level right now.

·     He is a ball hawk, and it is evident.

·     If Jakorian Bennett remains healthy, and Stoke is back to 100%, the one perceived weakest part of the team could shut the mouths of many doubters.

The Intangibles

·     The offense had two penalties today, and the defense had three.  That is nearly insignificant when you consider it was the third day of practice.  That was impressive to me.

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