Even though the Las Vegas Raiders have cut on-hand reporters off at the knees by banning videos and limiting certain elements of coverage at training camp, it is still rather obvious who is playing well. Brock Bowers is the star of the offense, and Crosby is the star of the defense. Same old, same old.
But storylines have also started developing around rising stars like rookie wideout Malik Benson and first-year cornerback Zeke Masses. The superstars are getting notoriety, and everyone loves a new, unexpected camp riser. What does that mean for non-star returners like Tre Tucker, though?
It appears to mean that these players aren't getting a ton of attention at this juncture. But that's okay; it doesn't signify that they aren't playing well or contributing. In fact, although Tucker has been a footnote in camp reports, by all accounts, he is playing well and not getting enough credit for it.
Tre Tucker is playing well at Raiders camp despite limited attention
Benson is a sixth-round rookie playing well, which obviously piques fans' interest. Jalen Nailor is the new kid on the block, so his progress has been fun to monitor. But Tucker has a chance to become a high-end receiver in Klint Kubiak's offense, and yet his camp accomplishments are largely ignored.
This started on the first day of practice, when he toasted Decamerion Richardson on a deep route that would have been a touchdown if the corner didn't get a pass interference call on Tucker. Two days later, Tucker caught a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins during the 7-on-7 period.
After a day off and some quiet outings, Tucker responded with yet another touchdown during team period, fully establishing himself as the top option at wide receiver, alongside Nailor and Benson. His rapport with Cousins has continued to grow, according to one reporter.
Now, Tucker obviously hasn't had a perfect camp, as Cousins has gotten in trouble by forcing passes to him. At his stature, Tucker is never going to be an elite contested-catch guy, and while it's not his fault that Cousins is forcing throws, that could be a downside of him being relied on at times.
However, Tucker continues to stack great days and hit paydirt during various live periods, even when he is blanketed in coverage by a veteran like Taron Johnson. Sometimes, he makes it simple, scoring on an out route against premier cornerback Eric Stokes, which the Raiders' video team captured.
With all of this success and almost no negative reports, it is a wonder why Tucker isn't getting more credit for his strong showing at Raiders training camp. Perhaps he has reached that level where the assumption is just that he's contributing a lot but not starring, like an Adam Butler or Kolton Miller.
Or maybe Tucker is being massively slept on and is poised for a huge campaign in Kubiak's offense in what is a contract year for him.
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