Raiders: Mack Hollins goes from roster bubble to captain

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 14: Mack Hollins #10 of the Las Vegas Raiders stiff arms Troy Dye #45 of the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 14, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 14: Mack Hollins #10 of the Las Vegas Raiders stiff arms Troy Dye #45 of the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 14, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Over this week, teams league-wide have been announcing the players on their squad chosen as captains, and the Las Vegas Raiders were no different. On Tuesday, the Denver Broncos revealed their captains for the ’22 season. The following day, on Wednesday, Los Angeles announced their captain selections.

After a long wait, the Silver and Black followed suit on Friday by letting the world know who they chose to have sport a ‘C’ on the front of their jersey. The team captains for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 are as followed:

Las Vegas Raiders 2022 captains

  • Derek Carr, QB
  • Davante Adams, WR
  • Kolton Miller, OT
  • Maxx Crosby, EDGE
  • Denzel Perryman, LB
  • Duron Harmon, S
  • A.J. Cole, P
  • Mack Hollins, WR/ST

For the most part, all of these selections come as no surprise – even Duron Harmon, who both head coach Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham have spent multiple years with.

There is one name that sticks out, though. Of course, I’m talking about the player some fans figured wouldn’t make the 53-man roster before an outstanding camp. If you haven’t figured it out, Mack Hollins is the one.

Hollins came to Las Vegas on a one-year, $2 million deal; a signing most of Raider Nation thought nothing of. The 28-year-old battled veterans Demarcus Robinson and Keelan Cole for the wideout no.2 job and won in such a convincing manner that neither Robinson nor Cole finds themselves on the Raiders’ roster.

After a camp where both his skillset and leadership were on full display, Hollins earned a captain spot heading into the 2022 season.

It seems the Raiders’ star edge rusher approves of the picks.

Darren Waller not one of the captains? It makes sense, actually

When looking at the captain selections, one thing tends to stick out in the eyes of Raider Nation: Darren Waller isn’t a captain.

Is he not a captain because of the supposed contract issue? Is the team foreshadowing a trade by snubbing Waller? Should the fans be worried? The answer is no to all of the above.

Actually, Waller not being a captain aligns perfectly with what McDaniels has laid out.

If you look at the captains for the upcoming season, you might notice one thing – there’s one captain at every level. On offense, the quarterback was chosen, an O-lineman was selected, and a skill position player was given the nod. When we get to the other side of the ball, that pattern continues, with a player at each level (DL, LB, DB) earning the ‘C’ patch.

Was Waller going to steal the patch from Davante Adams? No, and I’m sure Darren himself will be the first to tell everyone that.

You may find yourself asking about Mack Hollins, but Hollins is not an offensive captain. Instead, the former Dolphin is a special teams captain, just as he was in Miami last season.

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