Getty Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden
The Oakland Raiders are in their final week of OTAs before mandatory minicamps begin next week. There hasn’t been a lot of noise so far during OTAs, but there are some notable absences.
Raiders RT Trent Brown, LG Denzelle Good, DE Arden Key, DT PJ Hall among those absent from practice. Final week of OTAs. Minicamp next week. Then break until Napa training camp begins late July.
The Raiders’ biggest prize of free agency, Trent Brown, is nowhere to be seen, but that could be because he’s working out with some big names in Vegas.
Raiders RT Trent Brown at UNLV today, attending Von Miller’s annual Pass Rush Summit. Miller, Bradley Chubb, Melvin Ingram, Aaron Donald and DeMarcus Ware among those in attendance. Brown working vs. best on “off-day.”
Nobody can fault Brown for trying to working out with some of the best pass rushers in the game during the offseason. It makes a lot of sense for him to get some reps against Melvin Ingram, Bradley Chubb and Von Miller because he’ll be seeing all three of them twice a year for the foreseeable future. Second-year pro Brandon Parker is seeing first-team reps in Brown’s absence.
Other notable absences are second-year defensive players PJ Hall and Arden Key. The Raiders are hoping Hall and Key can make big leaps in 2019 because they were part of a defense that only managed 13 sacks last season. In Key’s case, hopefully, he’s in the weight room because the Raiders would like him to add around 20 pounds of muscle by the season’s start.
Denzelle Good was expected to start at left guard until the Raiders added Richie Incognito. Incognito is hardly a reliable player, so don’t be surprised if Good gets big playing time during the season.
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Injury or Precaution?
LB Brandon Marshall remains sidelined here in OTAs; he and CB Isaiah Johnson doing rehab work. TE Derek Carrier has resumed action.
New linebacker Brandon Marshall figures to be a big part of the defense, but he’s been sidelined for most of the OTAs. His injury is unclear and he’ll likely start seeing action once minicamps roll around. Though Marshall hasn’t been quiet. Marshall had a message for his former team last week while talking with NFL Network:
“I daydream about it every day. Every day, man. I can’t wait. It’s not going to take me long to see my old teammates, see my old organization, you know, I can’t wait. I think it’s going to be a helluva game. I see us winning. I went back to Denver not too long ago and I told some of those guys that we were going to beat them.”
It’s nice to see Marshall embracing the rivalry. Hopefully, he fares better than the ill-fated Marquette King.
Rookie fourth-round pick cornerback Isaiah Johnson is also on the sideline for today’s practice. Though he’s considered more of a project, Johnson is a freak athlete who will get his chances to shine when training camp comes.
Later Today
Reminder that we’ll have DC Paul Guenther, LB Vontaze Burfict, DT Maurice Hurst and LB Tahir Whitehead at the podium following today’s practice.
If you’ve had a hankering to hear from some of the guys on the defensive side of the ball, keep an eye out for the press conference after practice. You’ll be able to hear from new Raider Vontaze Burfict and some second-year guys like Maurice Hurst will be chatting with the media.
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