Las Vegas Raiders' biggest takeaways from training camp practice Monday

Dharya Sharma

Las Vegas Raiders' biggest takeaways from training camp practice Monday image

The Las Vegas Raiders held their ninth practice of training camp on Monday and the first unpadded practice in over a week. On Saturday, the Raiders will take the field for the first time in the 2024 season as they square off against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis.

Monday's practice was all over the place, as we got an uninspiring update on the quarterback competition, saw a crucial depth piece return, and a rookie get increased opportunities with the starters.

We go over that and more as we bring you the biggest takeaways from practice based on beat writers' observations. 

Raiders training camp takeaways

O'Connell edges out Minshew

The highly anticipated quarterback battle between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew has completely flopped, as neither player has stacked good practices and instilled much confidence.

After an impressive showing during Saturday's practice, Minshew came back to Earth on Monday.

Vic Tafur of the Athletic called the 28-year-old's performance "erratic," as he failed to sustain drives and consistently complete passes. Though he did impress with his legs, scrambling for first downs and scoring a touchdown on a quarterback sneak, it was a disappointing day overall for the veteran out of Washington State.

O'Connell had a solid practice on Monday but has shown little improvement in his second training camp.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the 25-year-old connected with Kristian Wilkerson and Tre Tucker for 20-yard gains but struggled with accuracy during team drills. O'Connell did throw the lone touchdown pass of the day to undrafted free agent Ramel Keyton. 

The Raiders' quarterbacks have been uninspiring in camp thus far, and with the preseason opener on the horizon, time is ticking for O'Connell and Minshew to figure it out. 

Jakorian Bennett shines

The second-year cornerback out of Maryland had a tumultuous rookie campaign but has taken strides in his second training camp.

According to Levi Damien of Raiders Wire, the 23-year-old made a couple of nice plays during team drills, including a few pass deflections on pass to Brock Bowers. and a near interception of Aidan O'Connell.

The Raiders are hoping the former fourth-round pick takes a huge leap in his sophomore season, and so far it looks like that might happen.

DJ Glaze gets first-team reps again

The third-round pick continues to be the shock of training camp, as Glaze received another opportunity with first-team reps during Monday's practice.

According to Tashan Reed of the Athletic, Glaze served as the starting right tackle during the team's final 11-on-11 drill and is in the mix for the starting role. The 22-year-old is performing above expectations in his first training camp and is stacking solid practices. 

Even if he doesn't win the starting job, Glaze could earn the right to be the first player off the bench at right tackle.

Jack Jones shows off his foot

The NFL's new kickoff is causing teams to get creative with their lineups on special teams. According to Vic Tafur of the Athletic, cornerback Jack Jones showed off his foot at practice and is excelling on the kickoff team. 

Jalen Guyton returns

The former Charger finally came off the PUP list on Monday and practiced with the team for the first time in training camp. Guyton's return will prove pivotal, as Las Vegas lacks depth at the receiver position, especially after Michael Gallup retired

Jeff Foreman carted off

UDFA wide receiver Jeff Foreman went down with a knee injury during practice. The 24-year-old was carted off the field after getting his legs tangled up in the end zone trying to make a catch. 

Ramel Keyton continues to impress

UDFA Ramel Keyton continues to showcase his big-play ability at practice, as he was on the receiving end of an O'Connell deep-ball touchdown during team drills.

According to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com, Antonio Pierce told wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett to give Keyton some reps with the second-team offense. Keyton subsequently responded. 

The former Tennessee standout has a path to make the 53-man roster and earn a role if he continues to stack great practices and stands out in the preseason.  

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.