Raiders offensive line finally fights back against defense

COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Raiders’ first day in full pads Tuesday was filled with physicality, a focus on running the ball and, as coach Antonio Pierce said beforehand, a lot of “bang bang.”

It also meant their offensive line could finally provide real resistance against a talented defensive line that ran roughshod during the nonpadded phase of training camp.

It’s tough enough dealing with an exceptional pass rusher such as Maxx Crosby with the pads on, but imagine trying to slow him when you can’t fully engage. That was the challenge facing new right tackle Thayer Munford in the first week of camp.

As a result, Crosby blew past Munford. It was a recurring theme across the line of scrimmage early in camp, and the defensive line let everyone know it.

“We got two vocal people on the other side of the ball,” right guard Dylan Parham said.

Parham was referring to Crosby and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who have turned up the volume on smack talk throughout camp. It’s all in good fun, but don’t think for a second the offensive line wasn’t counting the days until the rules of engagement finally evened up a bit.

Tuesday was that day.

“It felt good,” Parham said.

Offensive line steps up

Parham and Munford, who left Tuesday’s practice for a spell after suffering a hand injury, were up to the challenge. Of course Crosby won his share of reps against Munford and DJ Glaze, a rookie third-round pick from Maryland who acquitted himself reasonably well in Munford’s absence.

But it wasn’t the one-sided battle it had been earlier in camp, the dominance of which painted a distorted picture of the offensive line and angered Munford and his colleagues.

Inspired by a motivational talk Monday from former Raiders offensive lineman Richie Incognito, Munford and his crew approached Tuesday’s workout with a noticeable chip on their shoulders.

“One hundred percent,” Munford said. “Everybody was tired of people talking.”

Or, as Parham put it: “It felt good to get back to real football.”

No, that didn’t mean quarterback hopefuls Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew suddenly looked like All-Pro candidates. But with more time to operate now that Crosby and his defensive linemates weren’t sitting in their laps on every play, both quarterbacks looked more comfortable Tuesday than they did the first four days of camp.

Just as important, the Raiders finally introduced a real run game. It featured Zamir White, Alexander Mattison and Dylan Laube, a rookie from New Hampshire who got considerable work with the first and second teams. Laube even lined up with the starters during an extensive third-down segment that featured him as a runner and pass-catcher.

Good day to run the ball

The Raiders ran the ball sparingly during the nonpadded practices. But that changed Tuesday when they put a heavy emphasis on the ground game.

Pierce has said he wants to make a punishing run game the foundation of the offense. In other words, the complete opposite of what happened most of last season.

It wasn’t until White took over for an injured Josh Jacobs for the final four games last season that the run game truly got unlocked. That can’t happen this season, especially with the Raiders facing an uncertain situation at quarterback.

“Obviously that’s what we pride ourselves on as the offensive line,” Parham said. “If we can get the run game going, it makes the whole game plan easier.”

The Raiders were still without left tackle Kolton Miller and left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, who remain on the physically unable to perform list. Veterans Andrus Peat and Cody Whitehair have filled in at left tackle and left guard, respectively, and both have played well enough to create confidence about the line’s depth.

Munford and Parham, who were drafted in 2022, are settling in on the right side, creating the potential for a more athletic duo compared to years past. For Parham, it’s a return to his roots.

He played right guard during his final season at Memphis and moved to the left side in his rookie season out of necessity.

The presence of Powers-Johnson, who projects as a left guard, enabled Parham to make the switch to the right side this season.

“It’s been more natural,” Parham said.

Once the pads came on Tuesday, the entire offense looked more natural. It wasn’t a perfect day, but a step in the right direction.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.