3 big questions facing Raiders during training camp
COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Raiders wanted to escape the harsh summer heat of Southern Nevada when they decided to move their training camp to Southern California.
The pleasant weather of Costa Mesa, California, should create an ideal work environment.
That doesn’t mean the Raiders will just chill and relax as they prepare for their first full season under coach Antonio Pierce. They have key issues to iron out as they look to chart a return to the playoffs.
The two-plus weeks the Raiders spend together before their first preseason game Aug. 10 may not be enough to answer every question the team is facing. But the club hopes to have a better handle on the factors that will determine whether it has a successful season or not.
Here are three things the Raiders need to learn in camp:
1. Who will be the starting quarterback?
It’s no use beating around the bush.
The Raiders should have an impressive defense again. They have lots of offensive weapons. But they will ultimately go as far as their quarterbacks take them. And they need to decide whether veteran Gardner Minshew or second-year pro Aidan O’Connell will line up under center in their season opener against the Chargers on Sept. 8.
The Raiders hope one or the other can be efficient enough to help the offense reach its potential. A good template to follow would be Case Keenum with the Vikings in 2017. The journeyman delivered a career year thanks to a strong supporting cast, leading Minnesota to the NFC title game.
The Raiders have the defense and skill-position talent to prop up a quarterback like the Vikings did with Keenum that season. It’s just up to O’Connell or Minshew to muster the same kind of magic.
Camp will start to provide clues as to which one is more likely to do it than the other.
2. Who will grab the last starting cornerback job?
The Raiders have an opening on the outside opposite cornerback Jack Jones. Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson begin camp as the top two candidates to win the job.
The team would love to see Bennett prevail. The 2023 fourth-round pick could prove to be a long-term answer at the position. Facyson is good enough to start and rotate in, but he’s entering the last year of his contract.
Bennett will have a large say in whether things play out as the Raiders hope. He needs to cut down on the mental mistakes he committed as a rookie and prove he can stay healthy after missing three games last season. The talent is there. He just needs to show he’s ready to step up, starting in camp.
3. Can Zamir White and the offensive line develop chemistry?
One way the Raiders can support O’Connell and Minshew is with a strong running game. The team’s ground attack was stuck in the mud most of last year, which made things difficult on the passing game.
That can’t happen this season. White, the Raiders’ other running backs and the offensive line need to come out of the gates ready to roll.
White, who ran for 397 yards the last four games of the season, should benefit from plenty of reps in camp rushing behind the Raiders’ reworked front. The team is expected to have new starters at three spots next season in rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson (left guard), Dylan Parham (right guard) and Thayer Munford (right tackle). The Raiders can’t repeat what happened last year, when starting running back Josh Jacobs missed camp because of a contract dispute and didn’t look right all season.
It will be important for White, backup Alexander Mattison and the team’s other running backs to get comfortable with the new offensive line over the next month. The Raiders’ offense will be limited if O’Connell or Minshew don’t have a strong running game to lean on.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.