Raiders 2024 Training Camp Preview

There are no illusions when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense.

From the coaches to the players, the group knows there is a lot of work to be done when training camp begins this weekend. This is a byproduct of installing new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s scheme and system. The Silver & Black’s offseason activities and minicamps leading up to camp in Costa Mesa were all centered around diving into Getsy’s offense. It was a true brain dump where the offensive coaching staff gave everything they had at hand to the players to really immerse them in what is going to be done next season.

So when the team gathers in Southern California — rookies will report first this Sunday, veterans the following Tuesday — the facility will continue with an eye toward execution. The Raiders know mistakes will be made, and they’re not going to shy away from that fact.

“There are going to be a lot of mistakes. They are going to be mistakes made throughout the season, but this time of year gives us a chance to get ahead of them and learn the system,” wide receiver Davante Adams said after the team’s minicamp session last month. “Fortunately, I’ve been in this system for a long time, so 90 percent of these calls are being made and I know what to do right away without even getting in my book for real. It’s a learning process to get everyone comfortable with it.”

“It was the same thing as with the last offense when we were here, trying to understand how things change in movements, lining up, they’re different formations. You might hear some things that were similar to what you heard before, getting that out of your mind and unlearning some things is part of the process. So, we’ll just keep working. That’s all.”

Photograph by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Adams’ familiarity with Getsy’s offense will be helpful. The elite pass-catcher is a tone-setting and respected voice in the Raiders’ locker room and the example he sets in the film room, the practice field and on game days is a bright light for any Raider to follow. And as Adams noted, preseason and camp matchups are opportune times to not only iron out the kinks that will arise with Getsy’s new offense, but also provide tangible proof of where Las Vegas is from installation to execution.

Mistakes will be made, but what will be vital to the overall progress of things will be how quickly the Raiders learn from those mistakes and avoid them.

Because of that assimilation into another scheme, I’ve written that the Raiders’ offense is behind the defense. I don’t think that’s an unfair assessment considering defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and his group have continuity, as this is their third year in their system.

However, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce does not share that opinion.

“I don’t think the offense is behind. I think the offense is at the same level as every team that has a new offensive coordinator and head coach right now,” Pierce said after one of the team’s minicamp sessions last month. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a team say, ‘Man, the offense is way ahead of the defense right now,’ in June. It’s going to be the opposite. It’s always the defense that’s ahead of the offense.

“I think our guys are doing a good job with Luke Getsy and the offensive staff, they’ve given them everything they’ve got. They have the playbook. Today I asked him, ‘Guys, is everything in? Is Luke in?’ And he shook his head, ‘Yeah, it’s AP. ’ That’s fine.”

Pierce, in his first full offseason as the Raiders’ boss after an interim stint last season, provided high-level insight into what could be at stake when the Raiders arrive at training camp during the post-minicamp media session.

“We’ll come together as a team when we get back to training camp, OK, less is more. I live in that world where less is more,” Pierce said. “And who are we? What is our true identity? We’ll figure that out better with the guards, but I think when you put the volume on anywhere, I don’t care what offense you’re in, there’s going to be up and down days. It’s the learning curve.”

The team’s identity will surely take shape in Costa Mesa. Pierce talked loudly about being a team with bad intentions that seeks to cause pain and violence to the opposition. In Getsy, Pierce gets an offensive coordinator who adheres to that kind of notion, as the offensive coordinator likes to run the ball. Having a dominant and physical running attack can set the tone and give the opponent an indication of what awaits them over the course of a 60-minute game. Take Las Vegas’ ability to bully the Kansas City Chiefs in that Christmas Day road win. That gave the AFC West dominator so much of a nosebleed that the Chiefs used it as motivation to win another Super Bowl last season.

What will help solidify the Raiders’ identity is deciding whether Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew will be the starting quarterback. While it would help if both were on the same page with Getty’s offense, a clear-cut QB1 and QB2 sets the hierarchy and potential regular-season players. Pierce and other coaches note that the competition will extend throughout training camp (likely from start to finish) and don’t be surprised if both O’Connell and Minshew see preseason action.

Photograph by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

O’Connell provided insight into what Las Vegas did in offseason organized team activities leading up to training camp and will likely continue as the team prepares for the 2024 regular season.

“Yeah, I think obviously things get tougher down there. And so, we have guys on the outside and really guys all over the place that can threaten the defense up top and so when you can, I think the details are a lot more important,” O’Connell said when asked about the red zone work the team did this offseason. “So, I think we focus on the details. I think Coach (Luke) Getsy has done a great job emphasizing that and in our facilities making sure guys understand what they’re doing and not just the basics, but the details and the gist of each play.”

The details and the nitty-gritty. And as Pierce noted earlier: with protection on. That will be the true test of how far the Raiders have come from the start of the offseason to training camp. When Las Vegas is fully suited up and getting into physical shape (as NFL rules allow), the ability to adapt, learn and overcome will be very evident in the hopefuls and contenders for the future 53-man roster.

“One of our pillars is the process. And I told our guys, ‘Don’t get frustrated, trust the process,’” Pierce said. “And I know it’s repetitive, it’s cliché, but it’s true. Trust the process. And again, it’s up to us as coaches to eliminate the things that we just can’t do right. But it’s also up to you as players to do it right. Study your playbook, right? Come back on July 23 more focused and more prepared, with a better understanding of what to expect, what the plays are, the vocabulary. That’s your job, you’re professional football players.

“You’ll be ready to go on July 23. I think you’ll see growth as we move through training camp.”

Next week, the Raiders will be tested physically and mentally (more than they’ve experienced this offseason) and the headaches will be pretty evident. But wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said it best:

“I feel like it’s something I enjoy. It should be difficult. It should be different. If it wasn’t, everyone would be doing it. That’s how you stand out, so I’m enjoying it,” she said.