The Las Vegas Raiders have a ton of veteran talent on the defensive side of the ball going into the 2024 campaign, and the expectation is that the unit will be among the league's best this coming season.
That could make it hard for rookies like fifth-round pick and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and fourth-round pick and cornerback Decamerion Richardson to see the field a lot in their first seasons, but both rookies appear to be making inroads on at least garnering consideration for some snaps on defense.
During the team's third training camp practice on Friday, head coach Antonio Pierce heaped praise on both for what they've shown in camp thus far.
"He's quiet, he doesn't say nothing but if you watch every rep he's right behind Jack or Facyson, or whoever it is, and he's just taking a lot of mental reps," Pierce said of Richardson, according to Jesse Merrick of News 3 Las Vegas. "When he goes in he's not making those mistakes and I think we're doing a good job as coaches of spoon feeding him and not throwing him out there to the wolves right away so he doesn't get burned and lose that confidence."
"Tommy is a silent killer," Pierce said of Eichenberg, also per Merrick. "Tommy is slowly, each and every day, gotten better and better and I'm going back to OTAs and minicamp. He's come right into training camp and picked right up. He's put himself in position to be a backup or be a guy to get some playing time for us. We know what he can do on special teams but his football savviness, his anticipation, his overall leadership — I'd love to see when he gets pads on what I think it's gonna look like — I'm excited for that."
Barring something unforeseen, both rookies are going to earn a spot on the roster and will likely contribute on special teams, but what roles they're able to earn on defense remain to be seen.
Richardson enters camp in a competition for the No. 2 cornerback job opposite Jack Jones with Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson, a battle that Bennett appears to be the favorite in currently.
Meanwhile, Eichenberg figures to be the fourth linebacker on the depth chart at the moment behind Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo and Luke Masterson, although it isn't crazy to think he could move up one spot in the pecking order at some point this season.
