One Raiders Position Battle Just Took an Interesting Turn

As they continue to put in the work to mesh the sweeping changes they made this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are in the early stages of establishing a new identity. Las Vegas has begun its rebuild with a solid offseason full of coaching staff and roster changes.

The past few weeks allowed them to begin putting the pieces together on the field. Las Vegas followed their preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals with one of their best practices to date. The Raiders used Sunday to focus even more on what their calling card will be under Klint Kubiak.

Las Vegas has strung together largely productive practices so far, as they appear to improve with every practice. So far, it is clear what the Raiders hope to do under Kubiak's new coaching staff.

As Las Vegas looks to move on from several forgettable seasons, they will have to find a way to do several things they have struggled to do consistently well for many years. Yet, that is largely part of the challenge every player on this Raiders team has accepted.

Raiders' Primary Focuses

Las Vegas' coaching staff has emphasized competition across the board, even at positions where it is debatable whether there is actually a position battle happening. However, Las Vegas' interior defensive line has had quality positional battles that have had an immediate impact on the depth chart.

Running the ball and stopping the run will be what the Raiders will pride themselves on under Kubiak. “Running the ball is important, we think that's a huge part of winning football games. Running the ball, stopping the run on defense,” Kubiak said Sunday after practice.

Raiders Make Moves To Help Accomplish Main Goal

Las Vegas' shift to a 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Rob Leonard increased the importance of developing a deep rotation of interior defensive linemen. The Raiders have regularly added to the position group; Leonard's promotion from defensive line coach to coordinator also plays a role.

As they move forward under Leonard, Las Vegas will continue to add to the interior defensive line until they find multiple rotations they can be confident in. The Raiders recently released defensive tackle Benito Jones. They also recently signed veteran defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi.

It looked as if the Raiders had things figured out along the interior defensive line more than most other positions on their roster. However, Las Vegas' recent moves along the unit are confirmation that few things are set in stone for this rebuilding Raiders team, even along its defensive line.

Fatukasi is a sizeable addition to Las Vegas' interior defensive line. Based on his size alone, it seems inevitable that he will make an impact if given the chance. The Raiders still have others, such as veteran defensive lineman Adam Butler, who is also among their best.

"I would say just making sure that we lock in the basic framework of a defense. Making sure that we set a consistent edge. Making sure that we communicate the way we need to communicate and just continue to emphasize how important that is,” Butler said while explaining the defensive line's approach this season.

“Because when guys aren't on the same page, it shows up, and we don't want to get exposed. We want to be on the same page. We want to know what we're doing, and we want to make sure that we have the basic fundamentals down first before anything else."

The Raiders' two moves along the interior defensive line make the position battle within the unit undoubtedly the most interesting development so far. Most of the other position battles are going about as expected heading into the team's second preseason game.

Las Vegas' interior defensive line has the potential to make or break the season. The Raiders must continue to establish serviceable rotations throughout the season and continue developing interior linemen on the depth chart who may be needed down the road.

Considering the importance of their interior defensive line, the competition at the position group will likely never really end. It is a long 17-game season, and interior defensive linemen play the most physical position.

Las Vegas' position battle along the defensive line and the interesting turns that are sure to follow are just beginning.

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