The changes across the offensive line were the story of the offseason. Raiders fans were caught off guard by a few of the moves especially trading Hudson. The front office traded Gabe Jackson and Trent Brown as well. Moving on from Gabe Jackson left a void in the offensive line. With Richie Incognito solidified at one guard position, the question becomes who takes the other? The battle is between John Simpson and Denzelle Good. Simpson is the 2020 fourth-round pick who struggled in his first start. He bounced back, later on, looking like a different player in Week 17. Good is the steady veter ..read more

I’ll never forget being in the Raiders’ media room back in Alameda in 2018 when they took defensive tackle P.J. Hall in the second round, and traded up to take right tackle Brandon Parker with the first pick of the third round in the first year of Jon Gruden’s return to the team. Both players were considered big reaches. Neither player’s Raiders’ production did anything to dispel that notion. When they spoke to the media that night, both Hall and Parker said they were surprised to be drafted so high as they thought they’d go in about fifth round. Players don’t often say that, so it stuck out ..read more

It’s not very often that a talent like Miami Dolphins’ cornerback Xavien Howard could be available this late in the calendar year. But that may be the case. Michael Silver of NFL Media recently reported that the Dolphins and Howard are not in a good space these days regarding his contract and he may want to be traded. Of course, these things do happen. We all remember the Khalil Mack saga three years ago. So, if the Howard-Dolphins stalemate heads down that same, bumpy road, would the Las Vegas Raiders be interested in making a play for Howard? Of course, Jon Gruden’s team is already being co ..read more

While the NFL is more of a passing league, an offense can’t dominate if it doesn’t have a running threat. There are several great running back groups in the league, but which team is set up best for ground-and-pound football based on their stable of ball carriers? Most would expect the Tennessee Titans to be No. 1 on a list of best NFL running back groups, but there isn’t much depth behind Derrick Henry. Christian McCaffrey is amazing, but the Carolina Panthers have seven different unproven backs behind him on the roster. Lamar Jackson is a quarterback, thus not part of the backfield. With th ..read more

Our Las Vegas Raiders’ weekly podcast has dropped. Among the topics we discussed: Will this year be easier for linebacker Cory Littleton? Was Derek Carr that guy? Keep an eye on Allen Robinson,. Don’t worry about non-football moves. You can listen here: The post Raiders podcast: Big season for Cory Littleton appeared first on Distinct Athlete ..read more

You can now finalize your plans to watch the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony Aug. 8. The Hall of Fame announced their induction speech schedule for the 2021 class. The 2020 class will be inducted Saturday, Aug. 7 as the ceremony was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Eight people (seven who are still living) will be inducted into the 2021 Hall of Fame class, which will start at 7 p.m. locally in Canton, Ohio. Raiders’ star defensive back Charles Woodson will be the seventh and final speaker. Raiders’ legendary coach Tom Flores will speak second. The Hall of F ..read more

With NFL training camps starting next week, there are some veteran reinforcements at defensive tackle who will be available. ESPN reported that former Carolina Panthers’ Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short is healthy and already getting interest from teams. Carolina released Short earlier this year, Former Panthers’ two-time Pro Bowl DT Kawann Short, who underwent shoulder surgery last season, now has been cleared for football activity and already is in discussions with a handful of teams. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2021 Short joins former Cincinnati Bengals star defensiv ..read more

The Las Vegas Raiders made a controversial signing this offseason by inking former Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million contract. Many people, including myself, were skeptical of spending that much money on a backup running back, especially since the organization decided to move on from three Week One starters along the offensive line. But the Raiders might have bigger plans for their newest offensive weapon that goes beyond an RB2 role. In an interview with Mike Clay on Sirius XM NFL, Drake said he expects to play a more versatile role whi ..read more

The Las Vegas Raiders are a week away from reporting to training camp, which kicks off the push to start the 2021 season. It’s been a busy offseason for the team as they desperately tried to make the right moves to get on the right track and breakthrough as a playoff team. We want to know how you feel about Jon Gruden’s squad as training camp nears and we have a very simple question for you: Do you think the Las Vegas Raiders will make the 2021 NFL postseason? Is Derek Carr and the offense going to be good enough to lead the way to the playoffs and make the Raiders one of the seven teams in t ..read more

There has been so much talk about a possible Las Vegas Raiders’ pursuit of Green Bay Packers star wide receiver Davante Adams in free agency in 2021. However, there could soon be another free agent star wide receiver from the NFC North who might have a better chance of landing in Las Vegas: Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears. The Bears gave Robinson the franchise tag this year, but were unable to get a long-term deal done before last week’s deadline. There is a lot of speculation that the Bears will let Robinson walk in free agency next year rather than tagging him again. Adams could still s ..read more