The Raiders.com Staff released the first unofficial depth chart of the 2024 season ahead of the team’s first preseason contest against the Minnesota Vikings. While some aspects of the team’s depth chart were expected, there are a few surprising aspects of it. Some of the depth chart remains a mystery entirely, while other portions are beginning to become clear. I dissect it all here:
Quarterback remains a mystery
As expected, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are sharing the first spot on the depth chart, while the second-string position is currently left blank. The QB battle is raging on through training camp, and both quarterbacks are expected to play a good amount in the first preseason tilt.
Minshew seems to have the edge in the battle at this point after his two impressive outings at the end of last week, but Pierce is yet to decide who will take the first snap to open up the preseason in Minnesota. As much as Pierce has been able to keep things close to the vest as it pertains to the QB position, much of it will be exposed in Minnesota on Saturday, and the team won’t be able to keep things a secret much longer.
Anthony Brown Jr. has had a quietly strong camp, as he seems to be in line for the emergency QB position. It will be interesting to see how he and Carter Bradley play in the game on Saturday because not much has been said or seen about them this offseason. Brown is a dynamic athlete who could add a Marcus Mariota-type element to the team, and Bradley is the son of former Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, so he has an NFL pedigree. There is a battle for the third-string quarterback, but that won’t make headlines.
(Lack of) wide receiver depth
To nobody’s surprise, Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are the starting wide receivers on the outside. After that, things get a little bit murky. Tre Tucker figures to be the next guy up, but he has struggled tremendously with drops thus far in camp. He put together a strong performance during Friday’s practice in Adams’ absence, but he was back to making miscues on Monday. Kristian Wilkerson and DJ Turner are set to be the next backups, which is a bit worrisome as the two have a combined four NFL catches (all four by Wilkerson).
Jalen Guyton was supposed to be a lock on the roster but he finds himself on the back of the depth chart as he battles injury during training camp. UDFA Ramel Keyton has been a hot name as of late, earning the trust of Antonio Pierce to run with the second unit during Monday’s practice. Jeff Foreman was also having an impressive camp as a UDFA, but unfortunately, he left Monday’s practice with a potentially serious knee injury.
The retirement of Michael Gallup put the team in a bit of a weird spot. Turner figures to be a contributor on special teams, which gives him an upper hand at making the roster, but without more receiving production, it does not help the WR room. Somebody from this group needs to step up or the Raiders may be forced to dip into the free agent pool where a handful of capable guys remain.
Thankfully, the Raiders are slated to start two tight ends, which eases the pressure on the wide receiver room. This should come as no surprise, as the team figures to start each game with 12 personnel, meaning that two tight ends will be on the field at a time. I have been saying it all offseason, and I cannot stress it enough: Luke Getsy loves his tight ends.