PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Raiders have not announced their training camp plans, but the idea of holding it in Napa, California, which coach Pete Carroll mentioned at the NFL scouting combine, is beginning to fade.
Raiders owner Mark Davis, speaking at the NFL’s owners meetings, did not sound optimistic about the possibility of going to Northern California for camp this summer. The Raiders held camp last summer in Costa Mesa in Southern California.
Two issues appear to impede the plan, at least for this year. The first is the extensive work needed on the practice fields that the club trained on from 1996 to 2019. The other is formulating a preseason plan conducive to working in Napa without having to return to Las Vegas to play an exhibition game.
The Raiders are expected to hold camp at their Henderson practice facility. Other than spending last summer in Costa Mesa, the Raiders have held their camps at their facility since moving to Las Vegas in 2020.
The Raiders hope to schedule a joint practice with another team during camp, and the 49ers are a strong possibility to join them in Henderson.
Raiders excited about White
The Raiders signed free-agent linebacker Devin White last week after missing out on Patriots restricted free-agent linebacker Christian Elliss, whose two-year contract offer sheet by the Raiders was matched by New England.
White has a long history with new Raiders general manager John Spytek, including winning a Super Bowl championship in 2019 with the Buccaneers.
After totaling at least 90 tackles in four of his five seasons in Tampa Bay, White played in only seven games last season because of injuries. But Spytek believes the veteran still has something to offer.
“I know what he’s capable of,” Spytek said. “He’s hit a little bit of a rough spot in his career here. But he’s 27, and he’s a good dude. It’s good to get him a chance to maybe revitalize himself with Pete.”
White will slot alongside new inside linebacker Elandon Roberts.
“Two guys that can run and hit you and and love to play,” Spytek said.
Carroll is equally excited.
“Devin White, what a story he is going to be,” Carroll said.
Rules changes
NFL owners voted to allow both teams the chance to possess the ball in overtime during the regular season, just as they do in the postseason.
That means even if a team scores a touchdown on its first possession of overtime, the opposing team has a chance to match it. If both teams score touchdowns on their first possessions, the winner will be determined by the next score.
The game will be declared a tie if the score is knotted after the 10-minute overtime.
Owners also made last year’s dynamic kickoff rules, in which tacklers and blockers are not allowed to move until the ball is either caught or hits the ground, permanent.
There’s one major change: The ball will be spotted at the 35-yard line on a kickoff that sails out of the end zone for a touchback. It was spotted at the 30 last season.
The NFL projects a much higher rate of kickoff returns from the 32.8 percent rate last season.
The league is also expanding replay assistance on plays in which penalties are called on roughing the passer, intentional grounding and hitting a runner out of bounds.
The owners decided to table the controversial proposal to ban the Tush Push, modify playoff seedings and the on-side kick rules.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
