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The Las Vegas Raiders training camp is underway, and the team starts its 2023 NFL preseason on Sunday, August 13, against the San Francisco 49ers. As players fight and claw for Raiders roster spots and starting positions, some players are rising to the top while others are struggling. Here are the three key players struggling early in Las Vegas during NFL training camp, starting with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
The biggest issue coming out of Raiders training camp in the first few days involves the struggles of new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The silver (and black) lining here is that it’s way too early for this to be a major cause for panic.
Jimmy G is in the early days of a new offense. It is an offense he’s been in before, but still much different than the one he’s been running for the past six years.
Still, fans never want to hear that their QB is struggling and that the defense is owning the offense in 11-v-11 or even 7-v-7 practice situations. That said, the hope is that some of that is the defense improving as much as the offense struggling.
The word that most camp reports use to describe Garoppolo’s play is “rusty,” and that is also not shocking considering the veteran signal-caller hasn’t played since the first quarter of the San Francisco 49ers Week 13 game on December 4 last year.
There is one more piece of bad news for Jimmy G that may actually be good news for Raiders fans. Rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell out of Purdue has been one of the highlights on the Raiders roster this summer.
O’Connell was one of the most NFL-ready QBs in the 2023 NFL draft but fell because he is an absolute statue in the pocket. Today’s GMs want athletic QBs in the mold of Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts, so an old-school, pocket-passer like O’Connell gets downgraded.
However, for a coach like Josh McDaniels, who coached the GOAT — who also couldn’t run at all — O’Connell’s athletic deficiencies may not be a problem. So, watch out for O’Connell vs. Garoppolo to become a real competition if the veteran’s struggles continue.
RT Jermaine Eluemunor
In fairness to Jimmy Garoppolo, one issue contributing to his struggles in Raiders training camp is the rotating cast on the offensive line, specifically on the right side.
The left side of the line is pretty much set for the 2023 NFL season, with Kolton Miller the no-doubt starter at left tackle, second-year guard Dylan Parham at left guard, and Andre James at center.
On the other side of the center, the positions are far less set in stone.
The guard competition is a three-way race (more on that below), while the right tackle spot is a 1-on-1 battle between incumbent starter Jermaine Eluemunor and second-year lineman Thayer Munford.
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While it seemed Eluemunor would be the starter, two things have happened since, making this Raiders roster spot up for grabs. First, Munford has played well, showing improvement since last season. Second, Eluemunor has played much the same as last season, which is a problem for him.
No right tackle in the league had more penalties last season than Eluemunor, and he’s making the same mistakes in Raiders training camp. Plus, when the coaches subbed Thayer for Eluemunor after the mistakes, the veteran reportedly pouted on the sidelines.
If Munford can show he’s even almost as talented and consistent as Eluemunor in terms of blocking and doesn’t commit the myriad of penalties his counterpart does, the youngster could win this job.
RG Alex Bars
While the Raiders right tackle position is a two-man race, the right guard spot in front of Jimmy Garoppolo is a whole lot more convoluted.
Alex Bars was the starter last season but was also one of the lowest-graded starting offensive linemen in the league, per PFF. That’s why the competition for his position on the Raiders roster is wide open ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
The battle is likely a three-way race between two free agents the Raiders signed this offseason.
First, there is Netane Muti, a 2020 sixth-round pick who has four career starts with the Denver Broncos. Muti doesn’t have a ton of experience, but he has more upside than his veteran competitors.
The team also signed eight-year NFL vet Greg Van Roten from the Buffalo Bills. Van Roten has 54 career starts, and while he’s no star, he is a solid presence, even at 33.
And if none of these three players win the job, it could go to undrafted rookie sleeper McClendon Curtis. The former Tennessee-Chattanooga played both guard spots and even left tackle in college. Curtis has a lot of talent and athletic ability but is still raw. The Raiders got a gift when the projected Day 3 pick fell out of the draft and into their laps. It’s a long shot that he wins the starting job, but stranger things have happened.
