The pads have officially come on at practice for the Raiders and this is when we can start to learn a little bit more about the team going into the season. The biggest camp battle on the roster is taking place at right tackle and the two players competing for the job are Brandon Parker and Alex Leatherwood.
While both players have gotten a ton of first-team snaps in practice, one player has emerged as the favorite to win the job. And it might not be who you expect.
In a recent article by Tashan Reed of The Athletic, he mentioned that Parker has seen more first-team reps than Leatherwood so far at practice. He believes that Parker is likely the favorite to win the right tackle job this year:
“On the other side of the trenches, the starting offensive line has remained consistent: Kolton Miller at left tackle, John Simpson at left guard, Andre James at center, Cotton at right guard and Brandon Parker at right tackle.
Though Alex Leatherwood has rotated in at right tackle and Dylan Parham has done the same at both guard spots, it’s clear they’re fighting from the outside looking in when it comes to earning starting roles.”
If Parker does win the starting right tackle job, that will leave Leatherwood to be the swing tackle and potentially the first offensive lineman off the bench. However, that would be an extremely disappointing outcome for the former first-round pick entering Year 2.
The preseason will likely decide this battle and don’t rule out the possibility of the Raiders rotating tackles during the season. But after one week of practice, this appears to be Brandon Parker’s job to lose.