Tag: Raiders position battles

Raiders undrafted rookie running backs fire up heated camp battle

Raiders undrafted rookie running backs fire up heated camp battle

It’s next to impossible to judge running backs in training camp practices. No one is allowed to tackle them to the ground, so it can be hard to tell when the runs they make are their doing or just the defenders letting up.

That’s when these preseason games can be somewhat telling. What Saturday night’s game at Allegiant told us is the Raiders have a couple of intriguing talents at running back in Trey Ragas and BJ Emmons.

Both backs are undrafted guys who find themselves in the position to have a chance at cracking the roster with former undrafted running back Jalen Richard down with a foot injury.

What they did with their opportunity is break off one great run after another, with both getting into the end zone for scores.

Ragas scored the first touchdown and was the team’s leading rusher with 13 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

“How about that?” Jon Gruden said of the performance. “Ragas didn’t know how to get in a three-point stance when he got here. No one’s come farther in a shorter period of time than him. He made some really good runs, he caught the ball, he picked up the blitz. Jalen Richard goes down and another man gets an opportunity.”

Taking the baton, if you will, was Emmons, who was facing the team that originally signed him this offseason and then cut him. Emmons would average five yards per carry, with nine carries for 45 yards and a score on a dive from two yards out.

“This Emmons kid, he went to Alabama. Jacobs is like his agent because Josh knew him in Tuscaloosa. And he says, ‘you better get a good look at this guy’ and boy did we get a look at him tonight,” Gruden continued. “He’s big, he’s fast, he’s elusive. And he’s got no mileage on him. He’s an unknown. He’s off to a good start also and next week is another week.”

Emmons played last season at Florida-Atlantic but the 5-star high school recruit was teammates with Jacobs at Alabama as a freshman.

There is a third running back spot behind Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake that could be open for the taking. These two made a strong bid for that job Saturday night. Making for a new heated training camp battle the rest of the way.

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Raiders safety spot ‘completely unsolved’, rookie Tyree Gillespie ‘definitely in the picture’

Could the Raiders starters rookies at both safety spots this season? Sure could.

Several position groups are looking at potential overhauls this season for the Raiders. That goes especially for nearly the entire secondary, where we could see as many as four new starters.

Not all of the new starters would fall into the category of what you might call a rebuild. At outside cornerback, for instance, Trayvon Mullen returns as a starter and could be joined by veteran addition Casey Hayward, who played for new DC Gus Bradley for the past four years with the Chargers.

Although head coach Jon Gruden says he is “fired up” by what he sees from the new members of the secondary, he sees a lot of uncertainties as well. At safety in particular.

“Safety is completely unsolved,” said Gruden. “We’ve got some high draft choices there playing down. We’ve got some high draft choices playing deep and we’ve got a great secondary coach in Ron Milus. So, if I’m a Raider fan I’m coming out here watching practice, I’m going to keep an eye on this secondary, it should be a strength of ours. If it isn’t, we’ve made some real mistakes.”

Those high draft choices are former first round pick Johnathan Abram and second round rookie Trevon Moehrig. The latter of whom is pegged as a starter at free safety immediately, which means really the unsolved mystery here revolves around Abram.

The third-year safety has a lot to prove this camp. I had him as one of five Raiders who are entering a make-or-break season in 2021 after a lost rookie season and a second season in which he was one of the worst safeties in football.

It’s becoming clear that Abram will have his work cut out for him to stave off rookie round four pick Tyree Gillespie who the team is high on as a hard-hitting strong safety.

“He’s definitely in the picture,” Gruden said of Gillespie. “He’s a big hitter. He’s a guy that can tackle in space and one-on-one situations. Dominant special teams player and we don’t take that lightly. We think he can play in the post and we certainly think he can play down low around the line of scrimmage. Might even have some dime linebacker capabilities down the road.”

Playing the post and around the line of scrimmage is what the Raiders want Abram to do. So, there’s really no question that this is a message he is meant to hear and for his part he better be listening.

Addition of CB Casey Hayward already paying dividends for Raiders

The latest big free-agent acquisition by the Raiders is the first to show his worth with the team. Former Chargers’ cornerback Casey Hayward was signed by the team earlier this month, nearly two months after the start of free agency in March. But …

The latest big free-agent acquisition by the Raiders is the first to show his worth with the team. Former Chargers’ cornerback Casey Hayward was signed by the team earlier this month, nearly two months after the start of free agency in March. But he’s ahead of the curve from his new teammates.

Why? Well, because he and Raiders new DC Gus Bradley have been together the past four years in LA. So, while the rest of the Raiders defenders are just now learning their new defensive playbook, Hayward knows it back to front.

The 10th year corner’s familiarity with the playbook and veteran presence is already proving quite valuable to his defensive teammates, especially those who share a secondary with him.

Third-year safety Johnathan Abram said of all the new faces in the secondary this year, he is most impressed with Hayward.

“Getting a chance to know him, be around him, he’s a guy who’s been in the system, going on six years. Just seeing the amount of things he saw. The starts that he got in this system. He pretty much knows it all,” Abram said of Hayward following Wednesday’s practice. “He goes out there, he talks every single play, in and out of the play. It’s just amazing to see. It’s very helpful for guys like me and other guys trying to learn this system. He’s been a tremendous help and I’m very glad he’s going to be a part of this team.”

Bringing in players who are familiar with a new coach’s scheme and vision is crucial. Paul Guenther did it several times when he first started coaching the Raiders defense, signing the likes of Reggie Nelson and Vontaze Burfict. Even DL coach Rod Marinelli brought with him several former Dallas defenders.

These players make the coach’s job easier. He doesn’t have to micromanage because he has a player in the group to fill in the gaps and show his teammates firsthand what their coach expects of them.

It also helps that Hayward is a good player. He isn’t a Jason Witten signing. He isn’t here to be a coach on the field. He’s here to compete for a starting job. And as it stands now he has a very good chance of winning that job opposite Trayvon Mullen.

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