Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Training Camp Preview
The first year of the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler era was very underwhelming for the Raiders. The Raiders may not have been a playoff team but they were expecting to be better than 6-11. The general hope for the Raiders was for them to be at least 9-8 or 8-9, around that .500 win percentage. There could be a couple of factors as to why the Raiders underwhelmed. Was it Josh McDaniels’ offense or him as a Head Coach? Was it the lack of talent all-around on the defense? Or was it Derek Carr himself? All three? The Raiders seem to made a few upgrades on the offensive and defensive side and after releasing Derek Carr, they have signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year contract. Does this make them better or worse? Just about the same? We will try to analyze some of the team and maybe have a prediction here in this Las Vegas Raiders training camp preview.
Three Position Battles To Watch
Linebacker: Divine Deablo, Luke Masterson, Darien Butler, Robert Spillane, Curtis Bolton, Amari Burney
Yep, I put the Strong side, Weak Side, and Middle Linebacker in this training camp preview. Does anyone else know what the Raiders are doing at Linebacker? No? No one? Good, I’m glad I am not the only one. At the end of the day it does look like Divine Deablo will be the Will, Robert Spillane will be the Mike, and Luke Masterson will be the Sam on the defense. But, rolling out this core at LB is just bad news bears. I do think Darien Butler could see some playing time, he should be the number one guy to push these guys for their spots. Bolton and Burney will be in there rotationally. As of right now, the LB core is bleak, hopefully the Raiders make some moves during pre-season or even now (today please).
Running Back: Josh Jacobs, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden, Ameer Abdullah, Britain Brown, Austin Walter, Sincere McCormick
This is really interesting only because of the looming decision on Josh Jacobs. Josh Jacobs and the Las Vegas Raiders are at an impasse amid his contract situation. The Raiders have franchised tagged Josh Jacobs and Josh Jacobs has not signed it. There is speculation that Jacobs could be traded or released. The Raiders actually made the right decision not to sign him a big contract as RBs are becoming more common in the NFL. Most teams are going to RB by committee approach and that could mean Jacobs could be on his way out if he’s not paid the contract he wants.
What does that mean for the rest of the Raiders Running backs? The job is wide-open for the RB1 position at this training camp. Even though RB-by-committee will be the approach, there’s always a more important guy than the others. Without Jacobs, there are six RBs looking at the job, and probably only space for three of them to make the team. Zamir White looks like he is the de facto RB1 without Jacobs. He was the fourth-round pick for the Raiders in the 2022 NFL draft. He shows a lot of promise and could be ready to take over for Jacobs.
The Raiders should cut Brandon Bolden. The fact is the only reason why the Las Vegas Raiders brought him in was because he was one of Josh McDaniels’ guys in New England. He’s old, doesn’t produce, he should be an easy cut for the Raiders. Out of the rest of the list, Ameer Abdullah seems to be the most established in the group. He was one of the Raiders’ primary receiving backs out of the backfield. I think he should make the team based on his ability to receive the ball. Zamir White should handle running duties and Ameer Abdullah should handle the receiving duties.
That means the last spot (granted again, Jacobs is not on the team) is up for grabs by one of these young guns. Austin Walter has shown some promise in training camp and pre-season before. His last time that he played In the regular season was in 2021 when he averaged 3.9 yards per carry with the Jets on 26 attempts. Sincere McCormick hasn’t played a down in the NFL, so unless he has a very strong training camp and pre-season, he probably won’t make the team but the Raiders might try to keep him on the practice squad. Brittain Brown has played special teams for the Raiders and was activated for six games for the Raiders in 2022. He might make the roster for special teams anyway, but he might be the third guy for the Raiders if Jacobs doesn’t play, or make the team as a special teaser.
Cornerback: Nate Hobbs, Duke Shelley, Brandon Facyson, David Long, Sam Webb, Jakorian Bennett, Amik Robertson, Tyler Hall, Bryce Crosby, Azizi Hearn, Isiah Brown, Jordan Perryman
Speaking of improvements to the defensive side of the ball (or lack thereof for Linebackers) the defensive backs for the Raiders is an interesting group for training camp. This is an unproven cornerback group with some bright spots. Nate Hobbs took a step back last year in 2022 but is still the best corner on this list. In 2021 Brandon Facyson was one of the better cornerbacks for the Raiders under Gus Bradley’s system. With Patrick Graham, we will soon see if he can have success again with the Raiders. Duke Shelley is young and had a decent year with the Vikings last year. Right now he is projected to be the other starting corner on the other side of Nate Hobbs. I would say those three guys should make the roster. Facyson might find himself starting for the Raiders over Shelley.
I would say the next tier of cornerbacks will be David Long, Amik Robertson, Tyler Hall, Sam Webb, and rookie Jakorian Bennett. If they kept all of these guys, that would give them eight corners, which is a little bit higher than usual, so expect to cut a corner or two. I think Jakorian Bennett’s spot is safe on the team. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft and has high upside. Sam Webb, Tyler Hall, and Amik Robertson all played for the Las Vegas Raiders last year. Sam Webb has very nice plays last year, and he also had really bad plays. Trying to find consistency with good plays will be key for him to make the team and how much playing time he gets. Tyler Hall was signed to the active roster last year after Anthony Averett was placed on IR. He finished out the year with the Raiders which was a seven-game stint for him.
Amik Robertson had probably the biggest breakout for this cornerback group. He is finally rising to the potential the Raiders thought that he had when they drafted him in the 2020 NFL Draft. I think he should stay with the team based on his performance last year. David Long was a recent signing by the Raiders who played for the Rams in 2022. He played 12 games for the Rams last year.
Unfortunately for the rest of the guys I haven’t named. I think they’re just training camp guys. This is a very young group with some upside. The cuts for the cornerback group will be cutthroat. I think Tyler Hall and David Long might be the first two guys they look at to cut out of the eight guys I’ve named. However, this will be one of the most congested groups on the team, and are hoping they can figure it out as time goes on.
Ready To Break Out: Zamir White
I thought this last year but Josh Jacobs went crazy and became the NFL’s rushing leader. Now, with Josh Jacob’s contract situation, Zamir White should be on the come-up to have a huge year for the Raiders. Especially now though, he will see more playing time even if Josh Jacobs does play with the Las Vegas Raiders because he might already have a foot out the door.
Rookie To Watch: Tyree Wilson
I don’t have a vendetta against Tyree Wilson (get it? It’s the site’s name, alright I am sorry) but he needs to be really good because the Raiders just blatantly passed on Jalen Carter which was a massive mistake. Sure, they might have passed on him due to “character issues” or legal concerns, but purely on talent, seeing Jalen Carter on the board and passing is just wild to me. The Eagles noticed that and pounced on getting Jalen Carter immediately, kudos to them. Tyree Wilson may have the tools, size, and length to be successful in the NFL, but it needs to be coached out of him. He’s a little raw to have been chosen at seventh overall. Tyree Wilson might be a good player, but he’s someone that should have been drafted slightly later in the first round. However, the trio of Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones, and now Tyree Wilson could be a really good defensive line unit.
Fantasy Sleeper: Zamir White
I have to double down on my prediction for Zamir White. I think he could have a decent year. Especially now when the fantasy RBs are becoming less valuable. This is one of those sneaky zero-RB guys you can get late in the draft. I am a big zero-RB guy now in snake draft leagues. In Auction leagues, you can take a flyer on Zamir White and no one is probably going to outbid you. You can get him for less than $5 and usually, $1 will get it done.
The Raiders don’t seem like they’re going to make a lot of noise this year and if they do, everyone will be surprised. If the Raiders do worse than they did with Carr with a better roster, Josh McDaniels would get fired on Black Monday. Josh McDaniels feels how hot his seat is, there must be improvement with the Raiders for him to keep his job. I think Ziegler will still have quite a bit of time before he gets fired, if he does. I think the Raiders will probably be 6-11 or 7-10 again. Their ceiling is around the 8-9 or 9-8 mark, but 7-10 is way more reasonable. We’ll see how they fare this year.
