Las Vegas taps into depth early in training camp with new-look offensive line

The Raiders’ offensive line took some punishment in Thursday’s second practice of training camp, even five days before pads come on and full-contact drills commence.

Star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins planted center Andre James into the ground on one snap to disrupt quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s timing. On an earlier play, All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby’s footwork fooled right tackle Thayer Munford to allow him to get in the backfield untouched and force a rushed, incomplete throw from quarterback Gardner Minshew.

So, the Raiders’ blockers had their trying moments, but perhaps more importantly, they rarely if ever struck on back-to-back plays.

“A little back and forth,” Wilkins said afterwards. “They get you some plays here, you get them here some plays, hopefully more plays. That’s what it’s all about. We’re just making each other better. You’ve got a good front on both sides, so if we keep pushing each other, who knows where we can end up.”

The battle in the trenches isn’t really a fair fight as training camp begins. The defensive line is fully healthy with their incumbent leader (Crosby) and splashiest offseason addition (Wilkins) leading the way.

The offensive line is missing both of its equivalents with left tackle/team captain Kolton Miller and left guard/rookie second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson both on the physically unable to perform list with shoulder injuries.

The two injured projected starters are expected back before final cut day on Aug. 27, but if they’re not, they’ll have to sit out at least the first four games of the season.

It’s a good thing therefore that Las Vegas signed guard Cody Whitehair and tackle Andrus Peat late in free agency. The Raiders didn’t have much money left to spend after splurging to sign Wilkins and Minshew in March, but they prioritized adding the pair of veteran offensive linemen on one-year deals with the remaining space.

The 30-year-old Peat, formerly with the Saints, and the 32-year-old Whitehair, previously with the Bears, make up the starting left side of the line for the moment with James, third-year guard Dylan Parham and Munford and to the right.

That leaves James the only player sticking at his primary position from a year ago — Parham is switching from left to right guard while Munford finished the year at left tackle — but the Raiders haven’t seen much drop-off.

“They’re lightning fast,” running back Zamir White said when asked about the new-look offensive line. “They get off the ball so fast and quick, I love it.”

The unit’s quickness is also something offensive line coach James Cregg praised earlier this summer. He said he was throwing a lot at his players to learn a new system, but it never seemed to slow them down.

Las Vegas is transitioning to a zone-blocking scheme under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after having been more power-oriented in recent years. The shift appealed to Cregg and was part of the reason he jumped at the chance to move on from the San Francisco 49ers, where he had been an assistant offensive line coach for the last two seasons, and come to the Raiders.

He felt the Raiders already had some necessary pieces in place, specifically mentioning how impressed he was with Munford when studying film of the Raiders’ Christmas Day victory over the Chiefs going into the Super Bowl last year.

A stylistic fit was also a big reason for bringing on Whitehair, who played under Getsy for the last two seasons in Chicago. Cregg has known Peat for more than a decade, ever since the tackle was a five-star high school prospect in Tempe, Ariz., and the coach was trying to recruit him to USC.

“With Kolton dealing with his injury … to have (Peat) out there is an asset,” Cregg said. “He’s understanding the system. He’s really catching on now. I think he can play out at tackle, he can play in space. I think he can play guard. He’s quite an asset for us right now. I’m really, really happy to have him.”

Peat would still be a marked step down from Miller, who’s been one of the better tackles in the league over the past half-decade. There’s a natural fear with Miller’s uncertain status especially considering he also missed four games at the end of last season.

But all indications are that Miller will be back, not the least of which is the fact that Munford hasn’t run any snaps at left tackle. The third-year, former seventh-round pick out of Ohio State played his best football last year at left tackle filling in for Miller and admitted to feeling more comfortable at the position.

A number of analysts linked the Raiders to drafting another tackle in the first or second round of this year’s draft, but both Pierce and Cregg have hinted it was unnecessary. That’s how much they believe in Munford.

Cregg said he expected Munford to take another leap after having the benefit of lining up against Crosby every day in practice. The difficulty of that assignment has already been apparent through two days of training camp.

“I told him I’m coming for him every day,” Crosby said of Munford. “He knows what it is. Jermaine (Eluemunor) had to do it every day too, and every guy before that. So, he knows what I’m doing, knows what type of energy and time I’m on, so he’s got no choice. He’s going to get better regardless, no matter what, if he wins a rep, I told him every single time I’m going to say, ‘Good (expletive)’ but I’m coming right back and going to try to embarrass him the next play.”

The Raiders’ offensive line has been far from embarrassing the past couple seasons and quietly a strength of the team. Las Vegas has finished 10^th in Pro Football Focus’ offensive line rankings in back-to-back years.

It improved in pass-blocking a year ago, one season after paving the way for then-running back Josh Jacobs to lead the NFL in rushing yards.

If Miller returns, continuity will be strong with four players who have logged starting experience together. Powers-Johnson or Whitehair will be the only newcomer.

The Raiders’ offensive line might be a bit outmanned at the moment, but it’s holding its own and looking comfortable in a new system.

“There’s not really a lot of questions about the scheme and what we’re doing,” Cregg said. “Their learning curve is very high here, and that’s what I’ve been amazed with.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or