All tackle spots concern Raiders
Incumbent left tackle Donald Penn isn’t yet cleared to practice and will begin training camp on the Raiders’ active/physically unable to perform list, the team announced Tuesday.
Penn arrived with the rookies Monday in Napa, per videos released by the team, but still hasn’t fully healed from December foot surgery that cost him the final two games of the 2017 regular season. He participated in Oakland’s offseason workouts in a limited fashion.
Penn’s sidelining opens the door for rookie left tackle Kolton Miller, whom the Raiders drafted 15th overall last April. Miller always figured to be strong competition for the starting left tackle job, given Penn’s age (35) and the fact he was coming off surgery, but now Miller really has a chance to show his stuff on Derek Carr’s blindside. Oakland has arguably the best interior offensive line in the league with Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson, but question marks remain at the tackle spots.
A proven 35-year-old coming off significant foot surgery, or the firstround draft pick?
That’s the question facing the Raiders at left tackle, and don’t be surprised if Miller is the opening day starter, regardless of Penn’s health status.
Here are four other position battles to watch during training camp:
Backup QB
The only reason this one makes the top five is because we saw Derek Carr go down last season. Who knows if a similar injury happens again in 2018. The backup QB battle seems closer
Safety
than last season, when EJ Manuel had a clear advantage over Connor Cook. Coach Jon Gruden seemed to hold Cook in a higher regard when the Raiders broke for the summer, though that could change between now and the start of the regular season.
Manuel replaced Carr when Oakland’s starter went down in Week 4 last season, and he filled the void respectably. In five-plus quarters against the Broncos and Ravens, Manuel completed 24 of 43 passes for 265 yards, a touchdown and an interception, though both games he appeared in ended in Raiders losses. Cook is the only quarterback on the roster with playoff experience, having filled in for the injured Carr and Matt McGloin when facing the Texans in the first round two seasons ago.
The Raiders will keep three quarterbacks in 2018, and they’re all on the roster now. The only question is which one will be the backup and which the third-stringer.
Karl Joseph seems the lone lock to start at safety, so that leaves Reggie Nelson, Marcus Gilchrist and Obi Melifonwu to fight for the second starting spot.
Raiders fans may not like this, given his struggles last season, but Nelson (35 in September) probably has the edge on Gilchrist for the starting spot beside Joseph. He’s played under defensive coordinator Paul Guenther before, and that gives him a leg up on the other two even if his age is a detriment.
Even if Nelson doesn’t start, expect him to see the field often. Gilchrist, 29, started 13 games for the Texans last season and could very well start beside Joseph. Who knows how healthy Melifonwu will be come the regular season? Who knows if a fully healthy Melifonwu can show why the Raiders used a second-round pick on him a year ago?
Defensive tackle
Gruden and Reggie McKenzie evidently thought this position was one of severe need since they spent two picks on it in the draft. Adding Maurice Hurst and P.J. Hall was just the beginning of rectifying a unit that generated little pressure on the quarterback in 2017.
Denico Autry was the Raiders’ best defensive tackle last season, and he’s now an Indianapolis Colt. Justin Ellis re-signed on a threeyear deal, but he’s a decent run stuffer at best. Mario Edwards Jr. looks like he’ll shift inside from defensive end. Who knows what he can provide, if he stays healthy? Hurst and Hall are in prime position to assume prominent roles as disrupters on Oakland’s defensive line as rookies.
Hall, however, will begin training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury. He didn’t seem limited during offseason workouts, so we’ll see what the deal is on Friday when Gruden addresses reporters.
Hurst has drawn the most praise from the Raiders coaching staff of any rookie, so expect him to play a significant role on the D-line. Hall hails from small-school Sam Houston State. At 6-foot-1 and 308 pounds, his stature lends itself nicely to gaining leverage on bigger offensive linemen.
Will Gruden have the guts to start two rookies come regular season time, or will Ellis and Edwards take on bigger roles than last season even with new bodies in the group? Whatever combo the Raiders trot out against the Rams on Sept. 10, it won’t be nearly as good as Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, but they’ll have to hope it suffices.
Right tackle
No, Miller is not playing right tackle this season, even if Penn starts on the left side.
It’ll be either Breno Giacomini, Brandon Parker or David Sharpe lining up there this season. The Raiders are hoping whoever it may be is better than Marshall Newhouse.
The Raiders likely want Parker to be ready to start there Week 1, in an ideal scenario. There’s a reason they traded up to take him with the first pick of the third round. Giacomini is not good in pass protection, plain and simple, so avoiding starting the 32-year-old would be best for everyone. Sharpe, though he flashed some ability filling in for Penn at left tackle late last season, probably isn’t ready for a starter’s role.
Parker perhaps isn’t either, in which case Tom Cable and Co. would likely have to turn to Giacomini. But this will be a tight camp battle, nonetheless, as Oakland tries to bring that 2016 level of offensive line dominance back this season.
• The Raiders also placed second-year defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (knee) and rookie defensive tackle P.J. Hall (undisclosed) on the PUP list to start camp.