We have officially entered the week leading up to the Raiders’ first preseason game. Which means their first unofficial depth chart is out. Here it is:
Here’s that depth chart btw. pic.twitter.com/ow4GBLK3BF
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) August 10, 2021
Keep in mind, this is unofficial. It’s essentially an educated guess based on practice observations and is for the preseason, not the regular season. A lot can change between now and then.
Quickly there are a few things that jump out to me. Here are my top five observations.
1. WR John Brown not starting
Brown aka ‘Smoke’ was signed this offseason and has been touted as the replacement for Nelson Agholor who left in free agency. At this point last yer, Agholor was also not a starter, but he quickly showed himself to be the best receiver on the team and went on to start 13 games and lead all Raiders wide receivers in yards (896). Just like last year, the starting outside receivers are Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards.
2. DE Clelin Ferrell not starting
This one is no surprise to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. Maxx Crosby is the best edge rusher on the team and they made Yannick Ngakoue their top free agent addition this offseason. Ferrell is decent at playing the run, but is lacking in the edge rush department. He is expected to move inside and out as a rotational guy. The league puts a premium on pass rusher over run defense and unless/until he can become a force against the pass, he will not hold the same value.
3. DT Quinton Jefferson first team
The Raiders have signed several potential starters at the 3-tech spot. Jefferson is the most recent steady performer at that position, averaging over three sacks and double digit QB hits per season from that spot. The others in the mix there are Solomon Thomas, Darius Philon, Matt Dickerson, and newly added Gerald McCoy. Still anyone’s job as of now and there will most certainly be a rotation there.
4. LB Tanner Muse starting at SAM linebacker
Muse spent all of his rookie season on injured reserve. The third round pick was expected to be a special teams contributor early on, while the trio of Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkoski, and Nicholas Morrow manned the three linebacker spots. In this depth chart, it’s Kwiatkoski who is out of the starting lineup as the backup MIKE behind Morrow. As for the SAM linebacker spot, the Raiders recently worked out former Seahawks standout KJ Wright. If he is signed, he would figure to be the favorite to step into that SAM LB job.
5. The secondary
Lots about the secondary is interesting, but no real surprises. Casey Hayward takes the starting outside corner job from Damon Arnette. Nevin Lawson is the starting slot corner, though he will miss the first two games, which would bring in rookie Nate Hobbs over second-year man Amik Robertson. Johnathan Abram gets the nod at strong safety with veteran Karl Joseph as next man up ahead of rookie Tyree Gillespie.