Thus far in the Las Vegas Raiders' training camp, the headlines have been commandeered by certain players and developments. That may not change a lot during preseason games, but opportunity will knock for some guys, starting with Thursday night's opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Head coach Klint Kubiak has said that starters will play in the game, but how that will exactly come to fruition is unclear. For some entrenched first-stringers, the injury risk certainly won't be worth having them on the field for more than a series or two, if that.
No matter how much the Raiders' starters play, some players will end up on the field for the majority of the game against Arizona, and big portions of all three preseason games. With all the youngster who've had eyes on them to this point in camp, one has surely fallen below the radar to a large extent.
That's because he's not in any kind of legit competition for a starting job unless something goes pretty well awry. But he could be a starter down the road.
Charles Grant can put himself back on Raiders' radar in preseason opener (and beyond)
The failure of the Raiders' 2025 draft class was not totally of its own making. Pete Carroll was unwilling to play young players, even as a 3-14 season with one win between Week 1 and Week 18 slipped away.
Offensive tackle Charles Grant was an interesting draft prospect out of William & Mary, and the Raiders took him in the third round last April. When Kolton Miller was lost for the season fairly early, it made sense to play Grant. But he made only one start, in Week 18, with just 15 snaps before that.
Grant currently seems in line to be Miller's backup this season, and nothing else. He doesn't appear to be getting any meaningful work at right tackle during camp, even as DJ Glaze may be vulnerable to losing that starting job.
Raider Nation may not be paying a whole lot of attention to Grant right now, but Daire Carragher of Pro Football Focus clearly is. He included Grant on his list of second-year players to watch this preseason.
"The 99th overall pick played just 59 offensive snaps as a rookie, with nearly all of them coming after the Raiders’ season was effectively over. Even so, Grant impressed in limited action, earning a 77.7 PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing just one pressure across 26 pass-blocking snaps.
"Grant entered the league from FCS William & Mary, so this preseason should provide a much better indication of how comfortably he has adjusted to NFL competition.
"The Raiders hope Grant can become a long-term answer at one of the tackle spots protecting quarterback Fernando Mendoza. However, he has played almost exclusively at left tackle, where franchise stalwart Kolton Miller currently remains entrenched."
Any real payoff is probably not coming this season. But how much Grant plays, how well he plays, and/or where he plays (might he see some action at right tackle?) is absolutely something to watch during the preseason.
Perhaps he is just being groomed to be Miller's eventual successor. But with a strong showing in the slate of exhibition games, anything is theoretically possible.
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