Tag: Thayer Munford

Raiders Week 11 snap counts vs Broncos: 9 offensive starters go wire-to-wire

9 Raiders offensive starters go wire-to-wire in OT win over Broncos

Injuries have put the Raiders offense in a position where they don’t have a lot of options to switch out. That means they need to hope whoever starts the game can go the distance. And that’s just what they got Sunday — even with the game going to overtime.

Nine of the team’s 11 starters went wire-to-wire Sunday.

Three offensive starters were out injured for the game — wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, tight end Darren Waller, and left tackle Kolton Miller.

The result was the Raiders keeping Davante Adams and Mack Hollins on the field the entire game. Adams played all but one snap and made the game winning touchdown catch in overtime.

Waller’s absence had Foster Moreau on the field for the entire game. He made the catch just prior to Adams’s game-winner. And he helped out with blocking due to Miller being out.

It was Jermaine Eluemunor moving to left tackle to replace Miller and Thayer Munford who started at right tackle. Had either been injured, it would have meant Jackson Barton coming in on offense. As it stood, Barton played only on special teams.

Only five other players saw time on offense — four of them were running backs.

Offense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Mack Hollins WR 66 100% 2 7%
Alex Bars G 66 100% 5 17%
Dylan Parham G 66 100% 5 17%
Thayer Munford T 66 100% 5 17%
Foster Moreau TE 66 100% 5 17%
Jermaine Eluemunor G 66 100% 5 17%
Andre James C 66 100% 0 0%
Derek Carr QB 66 100% 0 0%
Davante Adams WR 65 98% 0 0%
Josh Jacobs RB 53 80% 0 0%
Keelan Cole WR 44 67% 4 14%
Jakob Johnson FB 22 33% 10 34%
Ameer Abdullah RB 11 17% 15 52%
Brandon Bolden RB 3 5% 19 66%
Defense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Maxx Crosby DE 64 100% 6 21%
Trevon Moehrig FS 64 100% 0 0%
Rock Ya-Sin CB 64 100% 0 0%
Duron Harmon SS 62 97% 5 17%
Jayon Brown LB 62 97% 0 0%
Chandler Jones DE 48 75% 0 0%
Denzel Perryman LB 44 69% 0 0%
Bilal Nichols DT 39 61% 5 17%
Sam Webb CB 39 61% 0 0%
Anthony Averett CB 35 55% 0 0%
Andrew Billings DT 33 52% 5 17%
Roderic Teamer SS 32 50% 13 45%
Jerry Tillery DT 23 36% 5 17%
Neil Farrell DT 23 36% 0 0%
Clelin Ferrell DE 22 34% 6 21%
Tyler Hall CB 18 28% 1 3%
Amik Robertson CB 16 25% 4 14%
Isaiah Pola-Mao FS 8 12% 17 59%
Tashawn Bower DE 4 6% 9 31%
Luke Masterson LB 3 5% 24 83%
Special Teams Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Matthias Farley FS 0 0% 24 83%
Darien Butler LB 0 0% 23 79%
Curtis Bolton LB 0 0% 18 62%
Jesper Horsted TE 0 0% 13 45%
Brittain Brown RB 0 0% 11 38%
DJ Turner WR 0 0% 11 38%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 10 34%
Trent Sieg LS 0 0% 9 31%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 9 31%
Lester Cotton G 0 0% 5 17%
Jackson Barton T 0 0% 5 17%
John Simpson G 0 0% 5 17%
Malcolm Koonce DE 0 0% 1 3%

 

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Raiders offensive line starting to ‘settle in’ now with very positive results in win over Texans

Raiders Oline felt like they were starting to ‘settle in’ after win over Texans

It’s safe to say the Raiders offensive line is coming off their best game of the season. They not only played a big role in Josh Jacobs having arguably the best game of his career, but kept Derek Carr clean as well.

Jacobs ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Texans. Most of those yards (98) and all of the touchdowns occurred in the second half as the Raiders offensive line wore down the defense.

It is probably no coincidence that they had such a game with the same starting five for consecutive weeks for the first time this season.

Granted, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor went out on the first drive and was replaced by Thayer Munford, the other starting four were the same and at the same positions where they had started prior to the bye week. And Munford has played enough snaps at right tackle, having him come in didn’t disrupt anything.

Right tackle has seen a great deal of change going back to training camp, preseason, and the regular season. But so too has the guard positions and even the center position.

While Andre James is the returning starter at the center position, both guard positions have new faces. And they haven’t always been the same new faces. 

The new face the coaching staff has been trying to find a home for is rookie Dylan Parham. The top pick (third round) seems to have found his home at left guard. And his chemistry with left tackle Kolton Miller is showing up on the field.

“It’s just everybody moving around and now we’re getting comfortable with one another and we’re starting to settle in a little bit more,” Parham said following the Raiders win over the Texans Sunday. “Once you know how another player plays, you can play off of them. It helps the whole offensive line. But that’s the thing, we’re all one as a unit. There’s five of us, but we’re all one. So, once we start getting on one course it helps us play a lot better, so I feel like that’s why we’re playing well as we go along.”

Being the only steady presence on the offensive line, left tackle Kolton Miller agreed wholeheartedly with Parham’s assessment.

“We’re learning more from each other and we hope to keep it up,” Miller said of he and Parham working next to each other. “He’ll probably be there for a while. He’s growing a lot as a young player, as a first year player. He’ll talk and that’s the biggest thing is communication with all these stunts. He’s been coming in with a veteran mentality as a rookie, so that’s been huge.”

Getting the run game going the way they have in recent weeks has helped the offense considerably. Mostly it takes pressure off Derek Carr and the receivers. It also keeps the defense honest, leading to open receivers when they do go to the air.

It was clear that balance was off over the first few games and some of that was because the offensive line was not performing well. There was clearly a lot more blame to go around, but the offensive line is crucial to the success of an offense and it wasn’t what it needed to be. 

From the looks of it, that is changing. It has led to two wins over the past three games, and the other game was a close loss to the Chiefs. And that’s with right tackle still being a bit of an issue. Get that one figured out and we will see more runaway wins like we saw last Sunday.

Secret Superstars for Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season

From P.J. Walker to Marquise Goodwin to Dre’Mont Jones to Jevon Holland, here are the Secret Superstars for Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season.

There are all kinds of reasons that NFL players are underrated and unsung.

Perhaps they’re in systems that don’t best show their skills. Maybe they’re buried on a depth chart. Or, they’re in somebody’s doghouse, and their coaches can’t see their potential. Or, their efforts are relatively unnoticed among their more celebrated teammates. Sometimes, young players haven’t quite put it all together, but there are enough flashes to make you sit up and take notice, and when it does work, it’s all good.

Week 7 of the 2022 regular season featured players at just about every position who showed up and showed out despite their underrated statuses, and here at Touchdown Wire, it’s our job to point them out.

P.J. Walker, Josh Jacobs, D’Onta Foreman, Marquise Goodwin, Tyler Boyd, Thayer Munford, Aaron Banks, Matt Judon, Dre’Mont Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, Jevon Holland, and Ryan Neal are our Secret Superstars for Week 7.

Here’s why each of them made the cut.

Josh McDaniels: Raiders OT Thayer Munford Jr. made ‘some progress’ in his start vs. Vikings

Josh McDaniels: Raiders OT Thayer Munford Jr. made ‘some progress’ in his start vs. Vikings

Does offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr., a seventh-round pick from this year’s NFL Draft, actually have a chance to start for the Raiders this season?

The notion seems a tad crazy — until you look at the Raiders’ situation at right tackle.

Veteran OT Brandon Parker is injured and had a shaky performance in the Hall of Fame Game. Alex Leatherwood, last year’s first-round pick and part-time starter at right tackle, is apparently falling down the depth chart, given he didn’t play until the third quarter of Las Vegas’ win against the Vikings on Sunday.

Instead, it was Munford that played the entire first half at right tackle, after Leatherwood started there at the Hall of Fame Game.

So how did Munford perform? Reporters asked coach Josh McDaniels before Raiders practice on Monday, and here’s a portion of what he said.

“I thought, generally speaking, (Munford) acquitted well for himself and did some things he’s been doing on the practice field,” McDaniels said. “It was good to see some of that stuff carry over to the game.

“Obviously, a lot of rookies on the field yesterday. A lot of them with things they’re going to learn from today and when we watch the film. But generally speaking, I think there was some progress.”

McDaniels also painted a rosy picture of the entire offensive line, which is a potential weak spot for Las Vegas. McDaniels said the unit was “headed in the right direction,” though there are still things they “can do better as a group.”

As for Munford, McDaniels was reserved in his answer, but at right tackle, progress is a good thing for any potential starter. The Raiders coaching staff seems confident it can teach any physically-talented lineman to block in their scheme. That was apparent when Las Vegas re-signed Parker, despite his struggles last season.

Munford played college football at perennial powerhouse Ohio State, so he clearly has talent.

But it was just one start during the preseason for Munford. The real answers will lie in the weeks ahead, as the Raiders have several important decisions to make about who will block for quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Davante Adams, and a host of other playmakers.

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Thayer Munford gets the start at right tackle for Raiders vs Vikings

Thayer Munford starting at RT for Raiders while Jermaine Eluemunor gets a shot at left tackle

After seeing his snaps increase in practice this week with the injury to Brandon Parker, rookie seventh round pick Thayer Munford got the start at right tackle for the Raiders in their second preseason game vs the Vikings Sunday.

It was becoming pretty clear that Munford was going to see a lot of snaps in this game, but the question was whether he would be the first on the field. That proved to be the case.

Meanwhile getting the start at left tackle was Jermaine Eluemunor who saw most of his snaps at right tackle in the Hall of Fame game last week.

Parker had started at left tackle in the preseason opener and had a rough go of it to say the least. While starting at right tackle was Alex Leatherwood and Eluemunor came in later.

The Raiders not only need to find someone to be their starting right tackle, but they are looking for a reserve swing tackle as well. Should Munford and Eluemunor play well at their respective positions in this one, they could make a strong case to fill those two roles.

5 Raiders to watch in preseason matchup with Vikings

Raiders vs Vikings kicks off shortly. Here are 5 Raiders to watch

Shortly the Raiders and Vikings will kick off for their preseason matchup. From the sounds of it, we won’t see much in the way of sure starters again, which is fine, because what we want to see are guys trying to prove they belong. Here are five of those players to keep an eye on today.

T Thayer Munford

The rookie seventh round pick has been the talk of camp of late. Mainly because, with Brandon Parker injured, Munford is getting increased snaps. He is also drawing raves from his teammates for the improvement he’s showed in his short time with the team.

I would expect Munford to get a large dose of snaps at right tackle as the team both looks to see what they have in the former Buckeye, but tries to find a solution at the right tackle spot.

RB Ameer Abdullah

James White retired this week. Why is that applicable? Well, because White was the outlet for Josh McDaniels’s offense out of the backfield for the past eight years and put up some impressive numbers in the process. Some think Abdullah can play that role for McDaniels in Las Vegas.

Abdullah had two catches for 23 yards in the Hall of Fame game, so keep an eye on him in this one as well.

WR Mack Hollins

For all the hype Hollins was garnering in camp leading up to the Hall of Fame game, he had just one catch for a loss in the game. That could just be McDaniels hiding his intentions for Hollins, but be on the look out to see if Hollins will peel back the curtain a little bit and show up today against the Vikings.

LB Darien Butler

Butler led the Raiders in tackles in the Hall of Fame game. All eyes should be on him again in this one with Denzel Perryman, Divine Deablo, and Kenny Young not expected to play. If he has a repeat performance, the undrafted rookie could make a strong push to make this roster.

CB Amik Robertson

There has been expectations of Robertson in each of his first two seasons that he never lived up to. Once again, there is talk that he could be pushing for playing time at outside cornerback. And with Trayvon Mullen still on PUP and Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Averett not expected to play, Robertson should get his first shot to show what he brings to the tabkle. He didn’t play in the Hall of Fame game.

Raiders still have a big problem at tackle

Surprise! Tackle is still big problem for Raiders

It was apparent a year ago and pretty much every moment since then that the Raiders had a real problem at tackle. Despite this glaring issue, they did next to nothing to address it this offseason. So, it should come as no surprise the problem has not magically fixed itself. If anything, it’s worse now, because the season is fast approaching.

This issue is mainly about finding a viable starting right tackle. But based on what we saw in the Hall of Fame game last week, it extends even farther than that.

The Raiders used their first round pick in 2021 on Alex Leatherwood who lost the starting job four weeks into the season and has never gotten it back.

Thus far in camp, reports have Brandon Parker lining up as the first team right tackle more times than not. Despite countless chances over his first four seasons to develop into a starting caliber tackle, and never showing it, he is getting yet another shot and appears to be the leader in that race.

In reality, the Raiders should not be going into the season with Parker as the starter. It’s not just risky, it’s a risk that they’ve taken and been bitten by on more than one occasion already.

The problem there is should Parker take a backup spot, the ideal situation would be that the backup is a swing tackle. It was his performance in the Hall of Fame game that proved he is simply not the answer at swing tackle. 

With the Raiders sitting Kolton Miller for the game, Parker got the start…and he was completely destroyed. This included getting worked over by journeyman former Raiders edge rusher Arden Key.

Josh McDaniels said he will be trying out a few others on the left side for this Sunday’s preseason game against the Vikings.

“You’ll see a few different people over there,” McDaniels said of the left tackle spot. “We did some of that against Jacksonville. It’s an important opportunity. It’s like the backup quarterback; nobody talks about him until it’s the most important person in the organization. The same thing is true for the left tackle and the person that would swing on either side. Once you have an injury all of a sudden that position becomes really important. It’s not easy. So, to have the ability to do that, and we flop some guys during training camp to give them opportunities to work at that. It’s something that takes a lot of reps. It’s something that you’re getting a lot of calls on the right side that you’re not getting on the left side, so you’ve got to think very quickly on both sides. We’re going to gain more knowledge on that for sure on Sunday.”

Parker has been missing practice all week, so naturally other guys will have to get a look. But the mere fact that through last week he was leading the way among the tackles tells you something about the group as a whole.

They clearly don’t see Leatherwood as the answer if he’s playing behind Parker. And Josh McDaniels made it clear that while rookie Thayer Munford has gained a lot of confidence, the seventh round pick has “a long way to go.”

That leaves just Jermaine Eluemunor who started at right tackle for McDaniels for a season in New England, but who otherwise has spent much of his career lining up at guard.

Either someone on the roster needs to really step up soon or more drastic moves must be made. The prospect of going into the season with no starting right tackle and no trusted swing tackle is a very scary proposition, especially for the hopes of a high-powered offense.

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Day 2 of Raiders minicamp brings some shuffling at right tackle

Some shuffling at right tackle for Raiders on minicamp day 2

Through two Raiders OTA practice availabilities and one minicamp practice, the situation at right tackle was relatively unchanged. Day 2 of minicamp practices, for the first time we saw some changes.

Most notably Alex Leatherwood had been working as the first team right tackle up to this point, with Brandon Parker working at RT with the second team. Today, however, it was Parker who got the bulk of the first team work at RT, with Leatherwood stepping across the line to hold blocking pads.

The expectation has been that if Leatherwood was not working as the first team RT, he would be moving inside to guard where he started the final 13 games of last season. But even today with him not working with the first team, he still didn’t work at guard.

Despite Leatherwood’s consistent work at right tackle, he and the coaches have time and time again insisted the former 17 overall pick has been playing multiple positions.

“This spring I worked multiple positions,” Leatherwood after Wednesday’s practice. “I feel it’s all about getting that value of versatility, being able to play wherever the team needs me.”

Other players have been moving around a little, however. Day one of minicamp Jermaine Eluemunor was lining up with the second team at right guard. Today he slid over to right tackle quite a bit.

It’s worth noting that Eluemunor was the starting right tackle in Josh McDaniels’s offense in New England for eight games in 2020. They went 5-3 in those starts, so clearly McDaniels thinks he can do the job if called upon.

The consistent presence at right tackle has been round seven rookie Thayer Munford lining up with the third team.

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Thayer Munford inks rookie contract with Raiders

In case you missed it, Munford signed his rookie contract with the Raiders last week. #GoBucks

Another Ohio State NFL rookie has signed his initial contract.

Former offensive tackle, Thayer Munford, has inked his rookie contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, the team announced on Thursday. Though details of the agreement have not been released, historical estimates by spotrac would put it somewhere in the neighborhood of four years for $3,757,061 based on his selection.

At Ohio State, the 6-foot, 6-inch, 328-pounder from Cincinnati was a four-year starter who played in 58 games with 45 starts. He was named a first-team all-American by the American Football Coaches of America and a first-team All-Big Ten performer for the second consecutive season.

Congrats to Munford, and we’ll continue to keep tabs on all the former Ohio State players that ink their rookie deals with their new NFL teams.

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Recapping where every former Ohio State player landed after the 2022 NFL draft

Recapping where every former Buckeye landed after the NFL draft. #GoBucks

The 2022 NFL Draft is now in the books and a number of former Ohio State Buckeyes heard their name called and a few more either earned undrafted free agent contracts or were invited to minicamps. With all of the excitement coming to an end, it feels like a good time to recap where every former Ohio State Buckeye has landed in the NFL.

It should come as no surprise that both Ohio State receivers were selected in the first round, but it was a tad surprising to see some familiar names fall so far down the board, but perhaps that should have been expected given the disappointing season. Let’s break down where every former Buckeye landed.