The Raiders’ second week of organized team activities include a workout open to the media Thursday.
Here are three things to focus on when the Raiders take the practice field:
1. Makeup of offensive line
The Raiders settled in with Kolton Miller at left tackle, DJ Glaze at right tackle, Jordan Meredith at left guard, Dylan Parham at right guard and Jackson Powers-Johnson at center late last season. It would not be a surprise if that’s the starting five for the season opener, though free agency and the NFL draft added competition.
Veteran guard Alex Cappa could push for a starting job at right guard, and rookies Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant are intriguing. Rogers, an athletic tackle from Texas Tech, is moving to guard and could supplant Meredith as the starter at some point.
It will be interesting to see how the Raiders dole out reps and who lines up where.
2. Target distribution
Tight end Brock Bowers led the Raiders with 153 targets last year, leading to a record-breaking season in which he caught a team-high 112 passes for 1,194 yards. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was second in targets with 127, resulting in 87 catches for 1.027 yards.
Bowers is expected to be the top targeted player again this season, but the rookies the Raiders drafted could cut into his and Meyers’ targets. They want to get wide receiver Jack Bech and running back Ashton Jeanty involved immediately, and want to take advantage of wide receiver Dont’e Thornton’s size and speed.
The club also remains high on veteran wide receiver Tre Tucker and veteran tight end Michael Mayer.
How offensive coordinator Chip Kelly distributes the targets is a fascinating subplot, and some clues could be gleaned during OTAs.
3. Defensive back group
The Raiders could add reinforcements to their defensive back room, primarily at cornerback, where they don’t necessarily have a set three-man starting group. But the potential is there to field an effective starting group with solid depth.
Cornerback Jakorian Bennett was on his way to a solid year in his second season in 2024, but injuries limited him to 10 games. Is he ready to reassume his starting job?
If so, who plays opposite him at cornerback? Decamerion Richardson finished his rookie season as a perimeter starter. Is he ready to be the full-time starter? Or does free-agent signee Eric Stokes take that job? The Raiders also covet rookie Darien Porter.
Veteran Darnay Holmes is the projected starter in the slot, but undrafted free agent Mello Dotson could challenge him.
It will be interesting to see what combinations are put on the field among the starting and backup units.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
