Notes from practice
The Raiders continued with their alternating quarterback repetition schedule, as Gardner Minshew saw most of the snaps with the first team during Monday’s training camp. The team did expand their workload a bit today, as instead of primarily focusing on the red zone, they went to a full field approach. Vic Tafur of The Athletic said that both Minshew and Aidan O’Connell struggled under pressure today, however, which is not a great sign. The offensive line is obviously not at full strength, as two expected starters in Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson are sidelined with injuries, but it does not speak well of the Raiders’ depth or the quarterbacks abilities to perform well under duress. Perhaps our defensive line would be disruptive to any opposing line and quarterback in the NFL, but the offense still has a bit to figure out.
There have been four team drills today, two of them scripted and two of them not, and defense is having its way. Both Minshew and O'Connell have struggled under pressure.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) July 29, 2024
The biggest story of the day, however, seemed to be the play of Maxx Crosby. Every media member who was present at camp today exclaimed on multiple occasions how dominant he was, with Tafur even claiming that “Crosby has taken over practice”. Whether he was keeping his promise by terrorizing Thayer Munford Jr., batting balls down at the line of scrimmage, or stopping the run, Crosby made his mark today and set the tone for padded practice tomorrow.
Maxx Crosby's really been getting after Thayer Munford during 11-on-11 drills today and is letting him hear about it. Just shouted "got his ass!" after a rep 😂
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) July 29, 2024
One of the other major storylines from camp today was the play of Nate Hobbs. He is a player that is entering a contract year, and he seems to be playing like he deserves an extension. During the 7-on-7 and team periods, he played incredibly well, collecting a handful of pass deflections. His fellow secondary member, rookie safety Trey Taylor, also recorded an interception today in the 7-on-7 period. This pick was the result of a dropped pass by a receiver, but who threw or dropped the pass is unknown.
Can confirm - Hobbs has about 3 pass breakups today from 7-on-7’s and team period combined. https://t.co/M5PYE8RN2W
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) July 29, 2024
While John Jenkins still missed camp today, Tafur asserted that second-year defensive tackle Byron Young has played well in his place. The team needs Jenkins healthy to reach their ceiling as a defense, but it is very important for these young players to be getting so many reps because depth at the defensive tackle position has been a concern all offseason.
CB Brandon Facyson and WR Tulu Griffin both missed practice today as well, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
Overall, it sounds like another day that the defense dominated. Once the pads go on tomorrow, however, things will change. Nobody is hoping that either side of the ball is drastically outperforming the other, so ideally the two units have a bit more give-and-take as training camp progresses.