Recapping the first week of Raiders training camp

The first week of the highly anticipated Las Vegas Raiders training camp is now behind us. As the new head coach likes to call it, the "Raider Way" is being established, and the Antonio Pierce era is in full effect. What information did the first week of camp reveal about the 2024 Raiders?

Strong defense. Strong secondary?

It should come as no surprise that the defense, especially the secondary, dominated the first few days of camp. Raiders fans should take some solace from this, as there were several unanswered questions regarding the defensive backs heading into the offseason.

The battle for the third cornerback spot on the depth chart will reveal a lot about this team. Well, cornerback Jakorian Bennett's stellar play so far has helped to shed some light on the matter. The Raiders would rather develop their talent rather than sign a free agent if Bennett can establish himself as a reliable player and continue to improve.

Rookies look impressive

Raider Nation would experience a breath of fresh air if this organization starts to perform well in the draft, as the rookie class continues to look impressive. While lining up all over the field, first-round pick Brock Bowers demonstrated his versatility while taking snaps as the starting tight end. Bowers could prove to be a very useful weapon for this offense.

While Tommy Eichenberg, a fifth-round pick, and Decamerion Richardson, a fourth-round pick, played significant snaps with the starters, there's a chance they'll contribute to the Raiders' defense this season and give their positions much-needed depth.

Running back Dylan Laube may be the biggest surprise due to his excellent and reliable play throughout the offseason and into training camp. He logged snaps with the starters, and Pierce has been very impressed with him early on.

"That dude is special. I like him," Pierce said of Laube. "But I think he gives you the value of a third-down back and some special teams value as well."

There are a lot of things to like about this rookie class, and it will be interesting to see how they develop as they appear to be doing well so far.

Quarterback battle

The competition for the starting quarterback position of the Raiders, between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, is one of the most talked-about in the league coming into training camp. There was not a solidified starter at the beginning of the week, and we thought that during camp, O'Connell or Minshew would start to establish themselves as the frontrunner.

It appears that the competition is still about even as of right now, but things could change in the coming days. Given that both quarterbacks are still getting used to the new offense and are facing one of the top defenses in the league, the winner of the starting job will have earned it. Pierce intentionally allotted a significant amount of practice time to the red zone. The field will be opened up in the coming days, which may allow us to get a closer look at these two quarterbacks.