Day 3 standouts
According to reports by the members of the media who are able to attend camp, the defense still won the day, but there was a lot more back and forth than the first two practices.
Aidan O'Connell started hot today in the 11-on-11 red zone drills, finding Jakobi Meyers for two consecutive touchdowns.
Aidan O'Connell took the first snaps of the day at QB in an 11-on-11 redzone drill for the #Raiders today. He had two touchdown passes to WR Jakobi Meyers. Good start.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) July 26, 2024
He was not perfect throughout the day, however, as he threw two interceptions, one to Jack Jones and the other to Isaiah Pola-Mao. Maxx Crosby apparently disrupted the play on the interception to Jones, but O'Connell made the same mistake again later on. Both throws came under pressure, but that is no excuse for not caring for the football.
O'Connell rebounded by running in a touchdown, however, which is not something Raider fans are used to seeing.
Well there you go. @Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell just audibled to a QB draw for a TD in an 11-on-11 red zone rep. Out of the shotgun, fake handoff to the RB going right, then O'Connell bolted left for the short TD run.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) July 26, 2024
Perhaps the best news coming out of camp today is that Brock Bowers appears to be performing at an incredibly high level. According to Logan Reever of 8News Now, Bowers caught three straight back shoulder fades for a touchdown. It may not matter who the Raiders put at quarterback if Bowers is that dominant.
As 1-on-1s continued between the pass catchers and the defensive backs, a few players separated themselves. Levi Edwards of Raiders.com said that the three most impressive performances came from Bowers, Jack Jones, and Decamerion Richardson. Jones was especially impressive.
Jack Jones having an impressive day.
— Logan Reever (@loganreever) July 26, 2024
3 straight knockaways in redzone 1-on-1s. First two against Jakobi Meyers and lastly on Davante Adams. #Raiders
No real notes were made about either Gardner Minshew or Davante Adams today. For Minshew, he threw one touchdown to Michael Mayer. This is better than the bad publicity he got yesterday for throwing a handful of interceptions. As far as Adams is concerned, I don't think anyone is too troubled by his lack of mention. Tashan Reed had this to say about the offense getting off to a relatively slow start:
It must be pointed out that a large part of the struggles of O’Connell and Minshew has been the excellent play of the #Raiders' secondary. They look really, really good.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) July 26, 2024
It's hard to be upset about this notion. The secondary is viewed as the Raiders' defensive weakness, so if the group is making plays on all three levels, they may be the best overall defense in the league. It doesn't feel far-fetched to say this.
Again, it appears that the defense won the day, but that is okay. They are in year 3 under the same regime, while the offense is dealing with a new coordinator, once again. The defense is more experienced as a group, and the Raiders offense needs to be challenged daily in order to improve. The unit is already showing signs of growth, which is tremendous for only being three days into camp.