3 Things To Look Out For At Raiders Training Camp: Offense Edition

Congrats football fans, we made it to the end of the offseason.

After months of no NFL Sunday Ticket, no Joe Buck or Troy Aikman on the call and no touchdown celebrations, the 2022 NFL season is finally on the horizon.

The first step: NFL training camp, as a number of franchises are gearing up to welcome both rookies and vets back into the facilities next week, after a month-long hiatus since mandatory minicamps took place. Ten teams are scheduled to have their respective rookies report to camp at the beginning of the week, with veterans expected to report, a few days to a week, after that.

Among those initial ten are the Las Vegas Raiders, with rookies reporting Monday, July 18, one of the earliest franchises are starting training camp this season. The Raiders made numerous moves on both sides of the ball this offseason, hoping to capitalize on making the playoffs in 2021, by making a deep run in 2022. Particularly on offense, the Raiders splashed via free agency and trades, looking to re-establish the silver & black as one of the elite teams in the AFC.

While there are a ton of key areas to keep an eye on, here are three of the most interesting points to look out for as we preview the offense ahead of Raiders training camp.

Raiders training camp preview: Darren Waller & The Passing Game Is Looking to Take Over

The Raiders have made it no secret that the passing game will be a focal part of the offense in 2022, acquiring perennial All-Pro WR Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers in March, and signing him to a five-year, $141.25 million extension. Davante joins his former college quarterback and friend, Derek Carr, who also signed a new deal worth $121 million over three years, keeping the duo together through the 2025 season.

Las Vegas made sure to take care of their core wideouts as well, signing slot receiver Hunter Renfrow to a two-year, $32-plus million extension this offseason, making it clear that the window is now for the Raiders.

The sixth-ranked offense in terms of passing yards last season, the silver & black should be able to make spectacular plays in a variety of ways, whether it’s Adams using his signature footwork to get open downfield or Renfrow finding the open areas closer to the line of scrimmage. The Raiders were only middle of the pack in passing TDs in 2021, hoping to elevate those numbers even further by midseason.

One of the biggest X-factors the team has is tight end Darren Waller, who recently said on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast that the position can be the focal point of any passing attack.

“I feel like it’s a position that’s becoming more and more fit to carry a team’s passing game,” Waller said. “You see it on a lot of different occasions with myself for a couple years, Travis, for a long period of time, George, Mark Andrews setting franchise records in Baltimore, Kyle Pitts, just guys that have all the abilities necessary to be the focal point of the passing game for teams and hopefully being compensated as such.”

TEs who would have finished top-12 among WRs in the last 5 seasons 💪⤵️

2021:
Travis Kelce
Mark Andrews

2020:
Travis Kelce
Darren Waller

2019:
Travis Kelce

2018:
Travis Kelce
Zach Ertz
George Kittle

2017:
Travis Kelce
Rob Gronkowski pic.twitter.com/fSmeEv8rAZ

— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) July 6, 2022

Waller has been asked to carry the load for the Raiders over the past few years, boasting 1,000-plus yards seasons in 2019 and 2020. But after an injury-plagued 2021 that saw the 29-year-old star in only 11 games, Waller is looking to come back with a vengeance this season, especially with his contract up in 2024.

He’s not paid like an elite pass-catcher (only making $6.25 million in 2022), but Waller is as much a part of the passing games as the wideouts he lines up next to, always a mismatch when he’s healthy and on the field.

Year 1 With Josh McDaniels At The Helm

New year, new coach as the Raiders made a splash in the front office by hiring longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the organization’s head coach. Serving under Bill Belichick for 14 nonconsecutive seasons, McDaniels brings a certain wisdom and winning culture that the franchise has lacked since the early 2000s when Jon Gruden served his first term as head coach.

But with a new coach comes a brand-new system as players and staff alike have had to adjust in the span of a few months.

During minicamp, Carr acknowledged the change in playbooks to the media, admitting that his new head coach is “demanding” while also admitting that he was a big admirer of the Patriots’ system.

“Just being in it and learning it, the details of it. Having the OTAs to grind through, that has been huge, but drawing on past experiences helps me,” Carr said during minicamp. “We can move on faster to get to other things. Hopefully, that’ll help us get everything in a speedy process, but I’m still learning like everybody else.”

More than a month later, the veteran QB is still glowing over the Raiders’ hiring, calling McDaniels a “genius” in a recent interview with Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston.

Derek Carr and the Raiders will take their games up a notch under Josh McDaniels’ leadership 👀 pic.twitter.com/ztSkTkQNAq

— Raider Nation (@RaidersNationCP) July 4, 2022

“He’s a genius when it comes to scheming things up and teaching his system and getting the best out of his players,” Carr said about his new head coach.

“I feel like a better football player,” he continued. “And I’ve had a lot of great coaches. He’s come in, he’s seen those things, ‘Wow, that’s awesome. What about this, too? What about this here?’ It’s helping me grow. It’s been really fun to be around him.”

Yes, it’s early but with more time under their belts to acclimate, expect the Raiders’ offense to come out of the gates on fire at training camp. A team that has lacked leadership and culture for years, seems to have an identity that is contagious within the offensive unit, something to get excited about if you’re a longtime Raiders fan like myself.

Is Alex Leatherwood the Guy at Right Tackle?

Previously covered on Sactown Sports, one of the glaring issues for the Raiders last season was the never-ending carousel of offensive lineman position changes in 2021, unable to find a consistent O-line to protect Derek Carr.

The biggest reason for that was the underwhelming performance of 2021 first-round pick, Alex Leatherwood. Initially drafted as a left tackle out of Alabama, Leatherwood was moved to right tackle to play alongside Kolton Miller, serving as a key piece for the Raiders’ blindside protection.

The move didn’t help the young lineman much as Leatherwood was picked on thoroughly in the regular season, allowing the pressures as a rookie lineman, last season.

“Leatherwood allowed the most pressures of any offensive lineman in the NFL as a rookie (65) and had a 29.0 PFF pass-blocking grade. He recorded four separate games with a sub-20.0 pass-blocking grade, and even if he was seen as a reach at pick No. 17, he is now under huge pressure to show he can be a viable starting offensive lineman for a team that wants to contend in 2022,” Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus said this month.

The former Crimson Tide had to be moved inside to the right guard position to compensate for his lack of pass protection and agility on the edge, that’s how bad it was.

But a new year and another offseason with the organization, Leatherwood is ready to prove the doubters wrong by blocking out the noise and letting his play on the gridiron speak for itself.

“I mean, I’m human. I get emotional. I’m also proud of what I do and my product,” Leatherwood said on the Raiders Podcast Network. “…But I learned to just block all that out and just be where my feet are and just focus on me and getting better every day, no matter what anybody says. Because my coaches, my team and my teammates, all believe in me. And I believe in myself.”

Additionally, Maurice Morton and Scott Gulbransen of Silver & Black Today out in Sin City believe the second-year lineman could be the key to Raiders’ success this season.

.@MoeMoton & @LVGully answer the question: is Alex Leatherwood the biggest key to a successful #Raiders season in 2022? Hear their whole conversation from today’s new show: https://t.co/38DtT8tNmG pic.twitter.com/MV1pxhVI7D

— Silver & Black Today (@SNBToday) July 11, 2022

The Las Vegas Raiders officially kick off their 2022 NFL training camp with rookies reporting Monday, July 18th. Veterans are scheduled to report two days later on Wednesday, July 20th.

Click here for a Raiders training camp preview that takes a look at the defensive side. 

For all things Raiders and NFL, stay locked in here on Sactown Sports.

Follow @AmilianoFragoso

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