Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Raiders standouts through first week of camp

Raiders Mini Camp

Steve Marcus

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Zay Jones (7) catches a pass during a practice at the Raiders facility in Henderson Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

It has only been three practices, without pads, and with very few reps of the first-team offense against the first-team defense, but some Raiders are still making their presence felt early in training camp.

You know what you’re getting with the established stars—Derek Carr and Darren Waller have both looked sharp—but with the first week of camp wrapping up on Saturday, this is a good time to acknowledge some of the other players who have made up ground with their work on the practice field.

A look at three Raiders who have stood out so far:

Zay Jones, WR

Last year, the Raiders signed Nelson Agholor to a minimum contract and helped rejuvenated his career (48 catches, 896 yards, eight touchdowns). Agholor ended up signing a big-money contract with New England this offseason, leaving an opening for a veteran receiver like Jones to step in and produce.

Jones didn’t get a lot of snaps with the Raiders last year, catching 14 balls for 154 yards, but the fifth-year man has looked fast and shifty in practice. On Saturday, he went horizontal to haul in a deep pass, showing the kind of playmaking ability that led Buffalo to draft him 37th overall in 2017.

Agholor took advantage of an inexperienced receiving corps in 2020, ingratiating himself to Carr as a reliable target. With second-year wideouts Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards still question marks, Jones could follow a similar path.

Gruden has liked what he’s seen from Jones through the first week.

“He’s in the mix now,” Gruden said. “He can play X, he can play Z, he can play anywhere in our offense, honestly. He’s versatile, he’s tough, he’s smart and he’s a great competitor, so I wouldn’t count him out.”

Darius Philon, DT

Gruden has had good things to say about Philon for three years now, ever since the defensive tackle opened the coach’s eyes in a game against the Raiders in 2018. Playing for the Chargers at the time, Philon lined up against All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele and made a name for himself with a sack, two QB hits and a tackle for loss.

Philon’s fast start is a bit of a surprise considering he hasn’t played football in two full years. The Cardinals released him before the 2019 season when he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, but the time away from the game hasn’t appeared to slow him down much.

Gruden said Philon reported to camp in tremendous physical shape and has carried that over to the field at a position of need.

“We’re looking for inside rushers. We’ve been looking hard,” Gruden said. “He might be one of the best stories to follow during training camp if he can keep it going.”

Marcus Mariota, QB

Mariota struggled with injuries last year and was available for less than half the season, but when he did get on the field he proved he is more than capable of operating in Gruden’s offensive system. After taking over for an injured Derek Carr in a Week 15 matchup against the Chargers, Mariota hit on 17-of-28 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also ran nine times for 88 yards and a score.

After surviving offseason trade rumors, Mariota is building on that momentum in camp. He has looked sharp in all three sessions, prompting some speculation that Gruden may find a way to get him on the field in 2021 via special offensive packages.

Gruden seemed excited by the idea of mixing in Mariota this season.

“This is a complex thing we’re trying to pull off here,” Gruden said. “We’re not going to call exactly the same plays when Marcus is in the game as when Derek is in the game. You wouldn’t either. That’s why we have a very vast playbook. I think for Marcus to be great, he has to run plays that he’s good at and that he likes. That’s what we do for every quarterback. I was excited today with some of the things we looked at.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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