Las Vegas Raiders' biggest takeaways from 1st padded practice of camp

Dharya Sharma

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Las Vegas Raiders' biggest takeaways from 1st padded practice of camp image

The Las Vegas Raiders wrapped up their fifth practice of training camp on Tuesday, which was also their first practice in pads. In under two weeks, the Raiders will head to Minneapolis for their first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. 

Tuesday's padded practice was eventful, as we got another look at the quarterback competition, saw an increased workload for a Day 3 rookie, and got some injury news.

We go over that and a ton more as we bring you our takeaways from the Raiders' first padded practice of training camp based on the observations of beat writers who were in attendance on Tuesday.

Raiders training camp takeaways

Who didn't practice?

Offensive linemen Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson and wide receiver Jalen Guyton remain on the PUP list, while cornerbacks M.J. Devonshire and Brandon Facyson, wide receiver Tulu Griffin, and defensive tackle John Jenkins didn't practice.

Offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. left practice with a hand injury but returned with his hand wrapped later in practice and got back in the mix. 

QBs better but still not great

Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew have been disappointing in camp thus far, but the duo had a solid practice today and are showing signs of improvement.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, O'Connell and Minshew had some nice moments at Tuesday's practice, including some nice completions to Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers. 

Tashan Reed of the Athletic stated that O'Connell took most of the starting reps on Tuesday after Minshew was given most of the first-team snaps on Monday. Reed added that O'Connell looked better, but neither player performed that well.  

It still sounds like the quarterbacks are a work in progress in Las Vegas.

Interior offensive line struggles

With Jackson Powers-Johnson out with injury, the interior offensive line struggled on Tuesday in pads. According to Reed, Cody Whitehair and Dylan Parham served as the starters at guard, and neither had a good day. 

Dylan Laube moving up the depth chart?

Dylan Laube has been excellent thus far in camp, and Tuesday's practice may have been his best performance to date.

According to Bonsignore, Laube received first-team reps as a third-down running back and looked impressive with the ball in his hands. Bonsignore added that the rookie could be moving up the depth chart. 

Adam Butler standing out

Veteran defensive tackle Adam Butler is entering his second season with the Raiders and had a fantastic practice on Tuesday.

According to Reed, Butler was in the backfield often on Tuesday and filled in well for John Jenkins, who has yet to practice in training camp. 

Coupled with Byron Young, who had a standout practice on Monday, Las Vegas is developing a few options along the interior behind Jenkins and Christian Wilkins.

Good reviews for DJ Glaze

With Munford exiting for a bit due to his hand injury, rookie DJ Glaze got the reps in his place. Per Bonsignore, Glaze "held his own for the most part." Tafur added that Glaze "was pretty solid" in Munford's spot.

Dharya Sharma

Dharya Sharma Photo

A football fan who started his own website to talk about the Tennessee Titans, Dharya Sharma is an up-and-coming sports writer from Nebraska and has amassed over 1,300 followers on his Twitter talking Titans. Along with his duties on Sporting News, Dharya is the social media administrator for Locker Daily Fantasy Sports.