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No preseason games won’t have a major impact on Las Vegas Raiders

By Khaled Abdallah

HENDERSON, NEVADA - JUNE 10: Construction continues at the 336,000-square-foot Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 10, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada. The site will serve as the team's practice facility and will include three outdoor football fields, a 150,000-square-foot field house with one-and-a-half indoor football fields, a three-story office area, and a 50,000-square-foot performance center. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JUNE 10: Construction continues at the 336,000-square-foot Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on June 10, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada. The site will serve as the team's practice facility and will include three outdoor football fields, a 150,000-square-foot field house with one-and-a-half indoor football fields, a three-story office area, and a 50,000-square-foot performance center. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Raiders defense vs. Denver Broncos 2019 (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Raiders defense vs. Denver Broncos 2019 (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

No preseason games won’t have a major impact on Las Vegas Raiders

Defense impacted slightly more

As mentioned, the offense will likely return ten starters from 2019, but the same can’t be said about the defense. There will be several key pieces returning including the defensive line and two of the defensive backs but the linebacker group and defensive backfield both underwent a major overhaul.

The Raiders brought in two new starting linebackers in Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton, and projected starters safety Damarious Randall and corner Prince Amukamara were also on different teams in 2019. Carl Nassib and Maliek Collins on the defensive line are new as well, but they may not be called upon to start right away.

Behind all of these new faces are players who started multiple games for the Raiders in 2019 and can help ease the transition if any of the new faces struggle at first. However all of the free agents brought in are veteran players with significant starting experience in the NFL so that should ease the transition as well.

The Raiders drafted a number of players that may become starters eventually in Amik Robertson, Damon Arnette, and Tanner Muse, but there is no immediate need to plug them in to the starting lineup yet. This could of course change quickly in the event of an injury but for now the rookies will have the benefit of being brought along slowly until they are comfortable with the scheme.

Defense is a major question mark for the Raiders in 2019, but that side of the ball also has the benefit of continuity in scheme as defensive coordinator Paul Guenther returns for his third year in Silver and Black.

Guenther is reportedly on the hot seat with a potential replacement in Rod Marinelli already on the staff, but just like the offense, learning a new defensive scheme is not one of the challenges for this summer.

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