The Las Vegas Raiders have been very fortunate when it comes to injuries this offseason. No players have been forced to miss time in training camp yet.
Even rookie Jermod McCoy, who was considered a massive injury red flag coming into the draft, has been able to practice. However, the Raiders almost got some bad news during Friday’s practice.
Defensive end Kwity Paye had to leave practice early with a trainer and didn’t return. The Raiders signed him to a three-year, $48 million contract in free agency.
He’s going to be an important part of the defense, as he is excellent against the run. Fortunately, it sounds like there’s no concern about his status. Head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that the team is just being overly cautious right now.
“He is [OK]. We’re just trying to be smart,” Kubiak told reporters after practice. “Guys get little nicks there, we want to make sure we get them to the full padded days, so we’re going to be smart with him.”
It makes sense for the Raiders to play things safe this early in training camp. They can’t risk having a key player like Paye get hurt this early into his tenure with the team.
Tonka Hemingway Seeing Expanded Role
The Raiders’ defensive line is an interesting group to watch this offseason. There are a lot of question marks.
Can a defensive end outside of Maxx Crosby generate a pass rush? Who is going to start at defensive tackle? Who’s going to play nose tackle in 3-4 packages?
This is why Tonka Hemingway is such an interesting player this offseason. He showed some very promising flashes as a rookie, but didn’t get that many chances to play. According to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, early signs are showing that he could be a starter this season.
“Defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway ended his rookie season on a high note, collecting four sacks in five games,” McFadden wrote. “He is pushing to have an even larger role in Year 2. Hemingway has been heavily involved with the first-team defense over the last two days. He made a few plays against the run during practice. The Raiders will most likely have a rotation on the defensive line, and Hemingway is trying to be at the forefront of it.”
Quay Walker Praises Crosby
The Raiders almost didn’t have Crosby anymore, but he’s back with the team now and highly motivated to have his biggest season yet. Even coming off knee surgery, Crosby is out hustling all of his teammates.
New linebacker Quay Walker has been blown away by how hard Crosby has been practicing early in training camp.
“I don’t think you can really tell he really went through what he went through last year honestly,” Walker told reporters. “Me and Nakobe [Dean] talked about that on the sideline probably like period five, period six. After the first team period, we were like, ‘Man, Maxx flying!’
“I’m not really surprised though. All the great players, the elite players, that’s pretty much how it goes.”
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