Jonathan Cooper v.s Denzelle Good (LG)
At the beginning of the offseason, the Raiders traded left guard Kelechi Osemele to the New York Jets, which looked to be strictly a salary dump to give them more cap space for free-agency. By doing so, it became apparent that left guard was going to need some work with the departure of Osemele, and that the Raiders were going to need to bring in some new blockers for Carr and the offense.
The Raiders brought back Denzelle Good, who filled in nicely in the later part of last season. They also signed veteran pro-bowl guard, Richie Incognito to help fill the position, but he’ll also be hit with a two game suspension. On Monday, they brought in more competition at left guard when they signed former first-round pick, Jonathan Cooper.
Incognito appears to be the guy who will start the majority of games, but during his absence it’s likely that Cooper or Good will fill in with the starters.
Cooper has had a disappointing career by many counts. He was the seventh pick in the 2013 draft, but has been hit with injuries, which have derailed the complexity of his career thus far. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a serviceable starter or a nice backup, so his potential is something that shines bright. It appears Gruden and Mayock are shooting for the sky here, that Cooper will either stay healthy for the first two weeks or they’re just stacking more depth to the offensive line.
Good was once thought of as the Raiders starter come week 1. Now with Incognito on the roster and the recent signing of Cooper, Good will have a battle in camp. There’s no doubt he’ll crack the final roster, but in order to start and get reps with the one’s he must show separation between himself and the other left guards on the roster.
It looks as Good is the favorite to start in place of Incognito week 1 as of now. Cooper has still yet to start working with the team since he just signed, but if thinks start clicking, he could make a strong case for himself as the starting guy at left guard.