Raiders Training Camp: Excitement Over the Defense, Aidan O’Connell Hype and Tyree Wilson’s Return

There’s competition everywhere, including at defensive tackle and cornerback. Plus Jimmy Garoppolo has been rusty, but should be ready for the opener.

At Raiders this morning, where it was 91 degrees at 8:51 a.m. Here’s what I learned …

• The team’s going to better up the middle on defense—maybe a lot better. Trevon Moehrig has dominated through the first couple of weeks of camp, and really benefited from the addition of former Eagle Marcus Epps to the safety group. A versatile piece, Moehrig is playing fast and with confidence, and looks ready to make a big jump. At inside linebacker, Robert Spillane has stabilized things. Brian Flores, who coached him in Pittsburgh, told ex-Patriot staffmates in Las Vegas that they’d love him, and he’s fit right in. And similar to the Epps-Moehrig dynamic, Spillane has helped in setting third-year Divine Deablo up to break through as a pro. And at defensive tackle, the Raiders have roles to figure out, but feel like they’ve at least got seven or eight real pros at the position. So if you’re looking for a place where Vegas will improve, the middle of the defense is that place, and that’s good, because it’s where it’s most needed.

O’Connell has turned a lot of heads early in camp :: Candice Ward/USA TODAY Sports

• Corner is another spot where the Raiders will have to figure out who plays where, but there’s a pretty decent baseline in place. Marcus Peters will start somewhere, and the team feels like it has two good options in the slot, with Nate Hobbs and Tyler Hall. How the other outside spot comes together is the question. Fourth-round rookie Jakorian Bennett has been intriguing early on, and has taken advantage of his opportunities. Brandon Facyson, who’s a little banged up now, and Duke Shelley will also be in that mix. A key at the position, and really all over the defense, is going to be ball production—guys getting their hands on the ball, and guys taking the ball away. If you look at the history of some of the above names, you’ll see that emphasis come to life.

• The right side of the offensive line features a pair of competitions, and how those play out could certainly affect where the Raiders’ season goes—the line’s another spot where Vegas needs to get better. Alex Bars, Greg Van Roten and Netane Muti are battling at right guard, and Jermaine Eluemunor and Thayer Munford are fighting it out at right tackle, with Brandon Parker and Justin Herron trying to keep up with those two. The good news here is the staff feels like it has more viable options, and better depth, than it did a year ago.

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• Jimmy Garoppolo’s been rusty early in camp, but that’s to be expected—he’s barely practiced since hurting his foot in December, and he’s assimilating with a new team. The good news is he spent a good amount of time with Davante Adams while he was rehabbing in the spring, and the team is playing the long game in working him back in coming off the foot injury. In this case, making sure he’s 100% for the opener, and with minimal risk of reinjury, is a priority. And while we’re here, rookie Aidan O’Connell has turned a lot of heads early in camp, and that hype is real. It’s not hard to see he can really throw it, and he’s impressing everyone in the building with maturity, his ability to handle things at the line of scrimmage, and his accuracy.

• I’d expect to see first-round pick Tyree Wilson return to the practice field at some point over the next two weeks. Wilson is recovering from offseason foot surgery after suffering a pretty serious injury at the end of his time at Texas Tech. You can sense the excitement here over what Wilson will be able to bring to the table when he gets healthy.