The Las Vegas Raiders have officially wrapped up their offseason program after the team went through mandatory minicamp this week. However, head coach Antonio Pierce treated his players before signing off.
After the first two days of mandatory minicamp, Pierce decided to call off the third practice as a reward to his players. That means we won't see the Raiders on the practice field until late July, when training camp begins.
While the offseason program certainly isn't the end-all, be-all when it comes to the competitions up and down the Raiders' roster, it did give us quite a bit of information for some of them.
And, with that information, we're listing the players who came away as the biggest winners and losers from the offseason program.
Raiders' winners and losers
Winner: WR Tre Tucker
Both head coach Antonio Pierce and wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett pointed to Tucker as one of the biggest standouts of the offseason. Meanwhile, we didn't hear much of anything about his main competition for the No. 3 wide receiver spot, Michael Gallup and Jalen Guyton.
Loser: G Jackson Powers-Johnson
After suffering an injury during the first open practice of OTAs, Powers-Johnson wasn't seen again until mandatory minicamp, where he was limited. While that was going on, veteran Cody Whitehair was getting the first-team reps at left guard.
Missing so much practice time is especially significant for a rookie, as that could slow JPJ's development and leave him behind the 8-ball going into training camp. That doesn't mean he won't be ready to start by Week 1, but it does decrease his chances.
Winner: CB Jakorian Bennett
Bennett's stiffest form of competition for the job opposite Jack Jones appears to be a career backup in veteran Brandon Facyson. But the second-year cornerback seemed to get more first-team reps in practice — and he made the most of his opportunities with a pair of interceptions in mandatory minicamp.
We haven't heard much from fourth-round pick Decamerion Richardson, who was thought to at least have a shot at a starting role. At this point, it would be surprising if Bennett isn't the starter in Week 1 after what we saw this offseason.
Losers: The QBs
Quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew struggling in practice was the norm this offseason, which doesn't instill much confidence in the Raiders' already uncertain quarterback situation.
Of course, individual performance certainly had something to do with that, but we also have to remember that both signal-callers are learning a new offense, and the Raiders actually have a really good defense.
All that said, we didn't learn anything in terms of who is ahead in the competition. Minshew saw the majority of first-team reps on Day 1 of minicamp, and O'Connell had the advantage on Day 2. This competition could very well drag out through the preseason.
Winner: RB Dylan Laube
It's never easy for a sixth-round pick to crack an NFL roster, but Laube is doing everything he can to do exactly that. Laube has routinely stood out in the eyes of beat writers, especially when it comes to his ability as a pass-catcher.
But he's also caught the attention of his coaches, like offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and running backs coach Cadillac Williams. There's no question the New Hampshire product has a head of steam going into training camp.
Winner: TE Brock Bowers
So far, Bowers has looked as advertised after being one of the biggest standouts. The rookie is clearly a great athlete and has been utilized all over the formation, but he also displays impressive route-running and an ability to get open.
There was no doubt some valid concerns over the Raiders taking another tight end after drafting Michael Mayer in 2023, but Bowers is showing he can be used in more ways than one, which allows the Raiders to deploy both at the same time.
