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Raiders 2025 Training Camp Preview: Storylines worth following, dates to know and more

The Las Vegas Raiders have started filing into the practice facility for training camp.

Camp, as always, will be a huge indicator for what team the Raiders can become and which players could be poised for a breakout season. Pete Carroll, in his first season coaching in Las Vegas, is tasked with changing the culture within the building and improving a team that went 4-13 in 2024.

Here are a few storylines and dates to keep an eye on as training camp gets underway.

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1. Big rookie on campus

Raiders rookies reported for camp Thursday, July 17.

In what's considered a promising rookie class, all eyes remain in the backfield on their first-round pick.

Ashton Jeanty was the first running back taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, and for good reason. He fell yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record that has stood for nearly four decades. Jeanty finished his career at Boise State with 5,631 total scrimmage yards and 50 rushing touchdowns, along with being named the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2024.

"It's a privilege to be in this space and to be a first-round pick," Jeanty said during his introductory press conference. "That's what I've worked to do, and I'm excited for that. I want that type of pressure on me and that type of expectation, and I'm just ready to go to work and prove why they took a chance on me."

As pads come on in camp and the preseason, the running back's true potential will begin to reveal itself.

"He's such a strong and dynamic back," Kolton Miller said. "I mean, the way his cuts are so smooth, even if he gets hit, he's still balanced, and that's super unique. He can't show his full ability right now, but off the field, he's very mature. He's a family guy, he brings great energy, and it shows a lot of maturity for his age. I'm so excited to block for him."

2. Open to all

The veterans report for camp on July 22, with the first practice taking place the following day. Pads will come on early the following week.

The Silver and Black will be in Allegiant Stadium for an open to the public practice on August 2 at 1 p.m. PT. Tickets are $5 each with all proceeds going to the Raiders Foundation.

The next chance fans have to see the Raiders on the field will be August 7 at Lumen Field as Pete Carroll, Geno Smith and Co. travel back to Seattle for the preseason opener.

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3. Can't write off QB1

Since the beginning of the 2023 season, a total of five quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Silver and Black.

Now heading into training camp, the hope is Geno Smith will provide stability at the position for years to come.

Smith is enjoying a late career resurgence after becoming the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback in 2022, having served as a backup for six seasons. In his last three seasons with the Seahawks, two of which were under Pete Carroll, he recorded 75 total touchdowns and 12,226 passing yards. Additionally, he's completed 68.5 percent of his passes since 2022, the third-highest of any quarterback in that span (min. 1,000 pass attempts).

Seeing No. 7 under center is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated things to come in training camp and the preseason.

"Geno is a natural leader," Carroll said. "He has developed over the years through all hard knocks and the tough ways that he's come up through it all to be a great competitor, and he knows to be a great competitor, you have to go for every opportunity that you have. And that's what he's done. And he's just illustrated to these guys that, OK, if you're part of our program, this is what's expected. I mean, I couldn't ask for a better partner in bringing the word to our team."

Behind Smith is Aidan O'Connell, who has started 17 games for the Silver and Black over two seasons. In his 20 career games, he's amassed over 3,800 passing yards with a 20:11 touchdown to interception ratio.

The third quarterback in the room is rookie Cam Miller, two-time FCS National Champion at North Dakota State. The expectations is not only for him to push Smith and O'Connell in practices, but learn underneath them as well.

4. The status of the defensive line

The defensive line became depleted throughout the 2024 season but there's hopes its almost back at full strength for camp.

Starters Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Christian Wilkins all suffered season-ending lower body injuries, spending the large majority of this offseason still rehabbing. The last time all three players were at full strength, they accounted for a combined 31.5 sacks and 42 tackles for loss in 2023.

Crosby and Koonce returned to practice in OTAs and are expected to be full-go to start training camp. Wilkins was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list Friday. He can return at any time during training camp and the preseason, but if he's still on the PUP list after the 53-man roster deadline, he must miss at least four games before being eligible to return.

"[T]his has been difficult recovery and he's done everything he needs to do," Carroll said of Wilkins earlier this offseason. "He's been here every day. He's here early, working hard, but we're still working it, and he's not ready to get back out. And we're in the midst of a long, challenging process here. So, fortunately there's a lot of time, and we're going to take every bit of it."

With Wilkins' current status, that gives other young defensive tackles an opportunity to carve out roles within the rotation, as the likes of Jonah Laulu and rookies Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues look to make a splash. Veterans Leki Fotu and Zach Carter will likely also be given an ample amount of reps to prove themselves.

"The group has been – I think they spearhead them in the defensive ends; they spearhead the message about effort in terms of you see those guys running around," defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on the interior defensive line. "I know you haven't been at every practice, but they're running around after doing a tough individual with Robbie [Leonard] and his crew over there. So, that's been the most positive thing that I could talk about here, without getting into any specifics."

5. Guess who's coming to practice

The Las Vegas Raiders will host their former cross-Bay rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in the midst of camp.

This will be the first time since the 2023 season that the Raiders will hold a joint practice with another team, that team also coincidentally being the 49ers. A lot has changed, yet remained the same for each squad. The Silver and Black will have a few new shiny toys on offense to show off, including quarterback Geno Smith and 2025 first-round pick Ashton Jeanty.

The 49ers will be going into the joint practice led by Brock Purdy, who was entering his first season as their starting quarterback the last time they came to the Raiders practice facility. They'll also be bringing the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, George Kittle and Fred Warner with them, who've been staples of their team for years now.

The joint practice will be culminated with a preseason game in Allegiant Stadium on August 16 at 1 p.m. PT.

Take an exclusive look outside Intermountain Health Performance Center as the Raiders rookies arrive for 2025 Training Camp.

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