Geno Smith and the top 5 storylines heading into Raiders training camp

New York Times

a day ago

For the first time in years, there's genuine optimism surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders. This offseason, they hired a Hall of Fame-caliber coach, made perhaps the biggest upgrade at quarterback in the NFL and drafted a potential superstar in running back Ashton Jeanty.
The roster still has plenty of holes, and the AFC West may be the toughest division in the league, but the fan base is excited heading into the 2025 season. When veterans report for training camp on Tuesday, the Raiders will ramp up their preparations for their first season under coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek.
Here's a breakdown of the five biggest storylines surrounding the Raiders ahead of their first practice on Wednesday:
Geno looking fresh in silver & black 📷@GenoSmith3 | @Raiders pic.twitter.com/efem3G9Gxh
— NFL (@NFL) July 15, 2025
Wilkins, who was placed on the PUP list Friday, missed all of OTAs as he continues what Carroll referred to as a 'difficult recovery' from the Jones fracture he suffered in his left foot just five games into last season. The defensive tackle has been in and out of a walking boot throughout this offseason, according to team sources. Last month, he was seen wearing a boot on his left foot while attending a charity event held by former teammate Kyle Van Noy.
Advertisement
A typical recovery timeline for a Jones fracture is three to four months, but Wilkins is well past that range. It remains unclear when — or if — he'll return to play for the Raiders this season.
If Wilkins misses games, then the Raiders will need other defensive tackles to step up in a major way. Adam Butler is coming off back-to-back productive seasons, provides valuable interior pass-rush juice and can be depended on as a starter, but the team lacks a proven commodity to replace Wilkins.
Veterans Zach Carter and Leki Fotu earned most of the practice reps in his absence in OTAs, but neither player has been a difference-maker as a pro. Ideally, the young crop of defensive tackles — Jonah Laulu, Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues — can make an impact.
Financially, the Raiders are committed to Wilkins through the 2026 season. He has a manageable cap hit of about $18.1 million this season, but it balloons to over $37.6 million next season. A whopping $27.25 million of his 2026 salary is guaranteed. In the scenario that he's unable to play this season and they want to move on, they'd have to eat a massive dead-money hit to do so. For football and cap purposes, the Raiders badly need a healthy Wilkins.
The Raiders had one of the worst O-lines in football last season. The unit was below average in pass protection and historically awful at run blocking.
In response, the Raiders signed veteran guard Alex Cappa, drafted guard Caleb Rogers and offensive tackle Charles Grant and hired Pete's son Brennan Carroll as position coach. Cappa is the only addition who's likely to garner significant playing time this season, so the Raiders are putting a lot on Carroll's ability to coach up the group and scheme around their strengths.
For most of OTAs, the starting unit was left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Dylan Parham, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, Cappa and right tackle DJ Glaze. At left guard, Parham will need to fend off Jordan Meredith and Thayer Munford.
Advertisement
However the starting lineup shakes out, it's not the most impressive collection of talent on paper. It'll be considered a win if the Raiders get league-average play out of the unit this season.
The Raiders are really young — they have just six players on the roster who are 30 or older. It's part of an intentional strategy by the front office to prioritize young talent in building a roster capable of sustaining success into the future. Despite having a ton of cap space this offseason, the lone major splash they made was trading for and extending quarterback Geno Smith. That's why they still have over $31.2 million in remaining cap space, according to Over the Cap.
Younger rosters typically come with growing pains, but Carroll has not shied away from that in the past. For the Raiders to be competitive this season, the coaching staff will have to do more in developing unproven players.
Let's start with Meyers. The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career and is one of the most respected players in the locker room. He has been durable and should be one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL. He's making $10.5 million this season, which is a bargain for the Raiders, and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. It sounds like a no-brainer to extend Meyers, but the Raiders may have already drafted his replacement in second-round pick Jack Bech.
Much like Meyers, Bech, who agreed to his rookie deal on Thursday, is an inside-outside receiver who wins with his route-running savvy and physicality. He has sure hands and was particularly effective from the slot during his college career. There's a lot of overlap between their games, which could make it tricky to work both onto the field at the same time. During OTAs, Meyers primarily operated out of the slot. When he wasn't there, tight end Brock Bowers often slid over. Fourth-round pick Dont'e Thornton and third-year receiver Tre Tucker got most of the reps on the outside.
Advertisement
Unless Bech can become more effective on the outside, it's hard to see where he fits in with Meyers around. This feels like a situation where the Raiders will probably have to make a choice at some point, which is why it could make sense to hold off on extending Meyers.
For Miller, it's more about whether the Raiders believe he will age well. Miller suffered a shoulder injury during the 2023 season that forced him to miss four games. After undergoing surgery last offseason, he wasn't himself last fall. Like Meyers, he's on an affordable contract and will become a free agent next offseason. He's still only 29, but the Raiders may want to see him return to form before committing long term.
Quarterback was the Raiders' biggest need entering the offseason, and they landed on the player they believe to be their long-term answer in Smith, 34. After undergoing a career resurgence with the Seattle Seahawks, he's played at a top-10 level — at times — over the last three seasons. While that's a lot better than what the Raiders got from their revolving door of quarterbacks the last few seasons, the upside of the offense remains in question.
Smith had his best season in 2022, and the Seahawks finished ninth in scoring offense, but they dipped to 17th and 18th the last two years. Several factors beyond Smith contributed to the falloff — there was a change in play caller, the offensive line was terrible and the run game was ineffective — but it suggests that he can't carry an anemic offense on his own.
The aforementioned offensive line uncertainty, a thin receiver room and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's adjustment from college back to the pros are all elements that could hold the offense back this season despite the addition of Smith. Those potential issues must get cleared up in training camp.