Getty Oakland Raiders former pass-rusher Khalil Mack celebrates.
The Oakland Raiders have a tall task in Week 1 of the NFL season against the Los Angeles Rams – finding the right replacement for Khalil Mack. After the Raiders shipped Mack to the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster deal, it leaves Bruce Irvin as a clear-cut starter, but a big question mark opposite of him.
On Tuesday, the Raiders revealed their initial depth chart for Week 1, and the choice to start in Mack’s place was a surprising one, as The Athletic’s Vic Tafur revealed.
Straight from the weekly press release, #Raiders depth chart (there will likely be 1 or 2 changes)
Barring a change ahead of the Monday Night Football matchup, it’ll be Tank Carradine holding down the job as a starter. Many expected Arden Key to be the one to get the job, but Jon Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther chose to go a different direction.
Carradine was one of the many free-agent signing by Gruden this offseason. He spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers after being a second-round pick out of Florida State. The 29-year-old was unable to do much from a statistical standpoint with his former team, though. He totaled 76 combined tackles with 5.5 sacks in 44 games and although he did flash upside, was never able to take that next big step.