Raiders training camp preview: Best position competitions

There should be some big battles in Las Vegas this summer

The Las Vegas Raiders headed to summer vacation with improved depth. This may be the deepest Raiders’ team in years and that should create a lot of competition in training camp.

Let’s look at the positions where the most competition should occur:

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Cornerback:
This may be the most intense and fascinating camp battle. The entire cornerback depth chart could be up for grabs after the Raiders added veterans Casey Hayward, Rasul Douglas, Blidi Wreh-Wilson and De’Vante Bausby in free agency, and drafted Nate Hobbs in the fifth round.

Teammates have been raving about Hayward, who played for new Las Vegas defensive coordinator Gus Bradley with the Chargers for the past four seasons. There is chatter that 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette could be taking a major slide down the depth chart. It will be wild to watch it all play out.

Defensive tackle:
The Raiders added here as well, with veterans Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson and Darius Philon and highly regarded undrafted free agent Darius Still. They join incumbents Johnathan Hankins and Kendall Vickers. They probably won’t all make the 53-man roster so the competition is going to be intense this summer.

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Receiver:
The competition here is mostly at the backup spots and I can see the depth chart being vulnerable. Some believe new free agent Willie Snead could take away snaps from Hunter Renfrow at slot receiver — and can second-year player Bryan Edward keep John Brown from being a starter? How about heralded undrafted rookie Dillon Stoner … can he find his way onto the roster? This will be fun to keep tabs on.

Backup offensive line:
The Raiders’ new-look starting offensive line is close to being set although second year player John Simpson could push Denzelle Good at right guard. But the bottom of the unit has many competitors with NFL experience fighting for a spot. It would mean 2018 third-round pick Brandon Parker could be in trouble.