Guard Play
Early in the offseason, the Raiders traded away star offensive guard Kelechi Osemele. With a huge hole on the left side of the offensive line, the team then went out and brought in Richie Incognito, a former Pro Bowl player who has had plenty of issues off the field.
Unfortunately, one of those issues will lead to him missing the first two games of the season, as the NFL suspended him a few weeks back. Starting right guard Gabe Jackson was expected to have a Pro Bowl season of his own in 2019, but he suffered a knee injury at practice this week, and is expected to miss eight weeks.
That leaves two open spots on the starting offensive line heading into tonight, and plenty of guys who are vying for those positions. Jordan Devey and Denver Kirkland got some first team reps at practice, and the expectation is Johnathan Cooper will start on one side of the line. In addition, keep an eye on undrafted free agent Lester Cotton Sr., who was an absolute mauler at Alabama.