Oakland Raiders: Best training camp battles to watch
The Oakland Raiders have now completed the portion of the offseason where they add to the roster. Now it’s time to get to work getting the team ready for the regular season. And a big part of that process is making decisions about the roster. Not just who will make the final 53 man cut but also who will be starting. Let’s take a look at what will be the most entertaining training camp competitions:
Menelik Watson vs. Austin Howard
Last season, Watson beat Howard out for the starting right tackle job only to get injured and miss the entire year. Howard started off rough but by the end of the year, he had regained the form that made him a big time free agent and brought him to Oakland in the first place. Once again, these two will battle it out for the right tackle job and once again I would expect it to be a very close competition.
Ben Heeney vs. Neiron Ball vs. Cory James vs. ???
This is my way of saying that I really don’t know what the Raiders are going to do with the middle linebacker position though I would imagine these three names are in the mix for consideration. Heeney seems the most likely candidate to be the starting middle linebacker but I am sure the Raiders will also make him battle it out before he is just handed the position. I imagine Ball will give him a run for his money but James may be a little too far behind to have a real shot at it.
DeAndre Washington vs. Roy Helu, Jr.
This might be one of the more entertaining camp battles and it’s not even for a starting role. Latavius Murray will be the starting running back while Helu and Washington will battle it out for the backup spot. Helu has a slight advantage having already been in this offense for a year, but Washington may have an edge in that he isn’t coming off of surgery to both hips. If Helu is able to return to pre-injury form it will be a good competition, if not, Washington may run away with it (pun intended).
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DeAndre Washington vs. Andre Debose
Last year, the Oakland Raiders drafted Andre Debose in the seventh round primarily to compete for the kick return job. But before Debose could ever really show what he could do, he tore his Achilles and missed the entire year. He is back this season and so far appears to have recovered well from the injury. But just in case, the Raiders drafted a running back who is not only capable of backing up Latavius Murray but who is also a returner. If there is a number crunch, Washington will have the advantage because he offers more than just return skills while Debose is a very unpolished receiver and at this point, is just a special teams guy.
Sebastian Janikowski vs. Giorgio Tavecchio
The past couple of offseasons, the Raiders have brought in Giorgio Tavecchio as a camp leg. And each year, Tavecchio impresses with his distance and accuracy only to get cut before the season. He’s back again this year but things might be a bit different this time around. Janikowski continues to struggle with consistency and given how much he is being paid, the Raiders may opt to save some cash and cut him in favor of the cheaper and potentially more reliable Tavecchio.
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