Raiders' QB competition kicks off, TE Michael Mayer impresses: 10 observations from OTAs (2024)

HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew began their competition for the starting job during the first organized team activity practice under coach Antonio Pierce on Monday, but reporters weren’t allowed to attend that session. That made Tuesday their first practice in front of the outside world. They split the first-team reps fairly evenly.

Neither passer lit the world on fire, but O’Connell was more accurate and did a better job of taking care of the football. He had the throw of the day when he fired a pass in between defenders over the middle to tight end Michael Mayer for a touchdown during a seven-on-seven red zone drill. It’s far too early to get a definitive read, but Minshew will have to create more separation to take O’Connell’s job. As the Raiders ramp up their preparations for the 2024 season, that battle will be the most important thing to monitor.

The Raiders will have seven more OTA practices over the coming weeks, then mandatory minicamp from June 11 to 13. After that, they’ll break until training camp in Costa Mesa, Calif., in late July.

Here are nine other observations from Tuesday’s practice:

1. The Raiders had 78 players participate on Tuesday. The 12 players who didn’t practice were running backs Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah, receivers Davante Adams, Michael Gallup, Jalen Guyton and Tulu Griffin, offensive tackle Kolton Miller, defensive end Ron Stone Jr., defensive tackles Matthew Butler and Nesta Jade Silvera, linebacker Darien Butler and cornerback Jack Jones.

Miller, who was working on the side with trainers throughout practice, battled a shoulder injury last season and still looks to be in the process of rehabbing. The reasons for the other 11 absences are unclear, but it’s important to remember that OTAs are voluntary at this point.

2. Mayer didn’t take issue with the Raiders’ decision to draft fellow tight end Brock Bowers in the first round last month. Mayer looked to be the starting tight end of the future when the Raiders selected him in the second round last year, but that changed with the addition of Bowers.

“It is what it is,” Mayer said. “That’s totally out of my control. … It’s already way behind me.”

The Raiders will use plenty of 12 personnel — one running back, two tight ends and two receivers — to get Mayer and Bowers on the field. Still, Bowers’ versatility will likely lead to him taking the majority of the snaps in looks with only one tight end. Instead of being upset, Mayer is embracing the dynamic. He’s fully healthy after suffering a toe injury last year, lost 10 pounds, has improved his speed and is in a more positive headspace overall.

“It’s just different this year,” Mayer said. “I’m way happier. I’m way more positive. … Last year, maybe there were some days I didn’t want to come in. I flipped the script.” When asked if the change at head coach from Josh McDaniels to Pierce was a factor, he said, “That could have something to do with it.”

Mayer is a better blocker than Bowers and can line up as a tight end and outside receiver, so he’ll still see plenty of playing time. The Raiders are hopeful the combination of Mayer and Bowers will boost the overall malleability, unpredictability and explosiveness of the offense.

Heating up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/w8JPcTYmgi

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) May 21, 2024

3. Thayer Munford is entrenched as the starting right tackle. He didn’t leave the starting lineup during practice, which shouldn’t be shocking considering his only real competition on the roster is rookie DJ Glaze. While Munford has made several starts at left tackle and right tackle during his first two years in the league, he has never been a full-time starter. He once struggled with his confidence, but that’s no longer the case. He believes he’s fully capable of being the long-term answer at right tackle.

“It’s a night and day difference from my first year and my second year to now,” Munford said. “Now, I’m like, ‘All right, I know I can play.’ … All I’ve got to do now is meet my potential and actually do it.”

4. Special teams coordinator Tom McMahon is excited about the strategy that comes with the change to the kickoff rule, which is expected to significantly increase the number of kickoff returns. He believes it’ll provide more of an opportunity to manipulate the field. It’s a lot of change, but Pierce has given McMahon additional practice time to work through it.

“What it comes down to is preparation,” McMahon said. “I’ll be honest with you, originally where we had them (lined up) in the beginning of the offseason program is not where they’re at right now. And I love that part. I learn from the players. They’ll come over and they’ll say, ‘Hey, Tom, don’t put us here. Put us here. We can get to these balls.'”

5. Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson are leading the position battle at cornerback. The Raiders have two clear starting cornerbacks in Jack Jones on the outside and nickelback Nate Hobbs, but the other outside spot is up for grabs.

Perhaps rookies Decamerion Richardson and M.J. Devonshire will enter the mix at some point, but right now it’s Bennett and Facyson jockeying for position. They both were on the field with the first-team defense with Jones missing practice Tuesday, so it’s hard to delineate the pecking order.

6. Tyree Wilson is firmly behind Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce on the depth chart, but he’s making strides. The Raiders moved the second-year defensive end inside to defensive tackle more often toward the end of last season, which helped him grow his skill set. Wilson said it reduced the amount of thinking he had to do, sharpened his ability to pick up on things pre-snap and improved his hand usage.

“It teaches them to use their hands because they’re dealing with a more immediate block from the guard or the center,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “I thought that was really critical to Tyree’s development.”

Last offseason, Wilson was still rehabbing from a foot surgery that ended his final season at Texas Tech. Wilson went home to Texas for the majority of this offseason, but he kept busy during that time away. He worked diligently with a personal trainer.

“I went back home and just worked on the eating habits, worked on the get-off and worked on me,” Wilson said.

Crosby has taken Wilson under his wing to help bring him along. After a humbling rookie season in which he fell well short of expectations, Wilson has been all ears.

“Coming in from college, you think you’ve got everything figured out, but this year I just slowed back down,” Wilson said. “I started taking the coaching and just come out here and work.”

7. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy plans to be more flexible. A large part of his downfall when he held the same role with the Chicago Bears was his inability to adjust to the skill sets of his players, injuries and opponents’ game plans. He has internalized that lesson and is aiming to avoid similar mistakes with the Raiders.

“There’s certain things that are non-negotiable in your play style and in the mindset that you want to bring no matter what,” Getsy said. “The most important thing is finding a way to maximize the type of guy that you have and figuring out what they do well. That’s the phase that we’re in right now.”

8. There’s shuffling at the guard position. Dylan Parham started most of the past two seasons at left guard but lined up at right guard for most of practice. Rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson and Cody Whitehair rotated at left guard. Parham has played right guard before, but building chemistry with Munford is something new.

“I treat him like my brother,” Munford said. “We talk every day about how we can get better, and we can help each other out on the right side so we can make that connection.”

9. With Graham back for his third season, the Raiders are banking on continuity on defense. The Raiders are returning nine of 11 starters from last season’s unit and made a major upgrade with the addition of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Graham was Wilkins’ defensive coordinator as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins in 2019 and knows how to maximize his ability.

“He’s someone that requires multiple sets of hands on him,” Graham said. “That’s something that we preach with our defense: We can’t get blocked one-on-one.”

The Raiders had a good defense last season, finishing ninth in scoring defense, but they want to be great. Barring a complete turnaround on offense — the Raiders were 23rd in scoring last season — the defense leading the way is likely what it’ll take to make the playoffs.

(Photo of Gardner Minshew: John Locher / Associated Press)

Tashan Reed is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Las Vegas Raiders. He previously covered Florida State football for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered high school and NAIA college sports for the Columbia Missourian, Mizzou football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball for SBNation blog Rock M Nation, wrote stories focused on the African-American community for The St. Louis American and was a sports intern at the Commercial Appeal in Memphis through the Sports Journalism Institute. Follow Tashan on Twitter @tashanreed