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Raiders Mailbag: First glimpses of the Fresno State reunion highlight OTAs

April Wagnon asks:

"How does it feel to see Derek Carr and Davante Adams playing together again?"

It's been pretty damn cool so far.

During media availability at Thursday's OTAs, a little bit more of the proverbial curtain was pulled back as we were able to see the first stages of the biggest reunion this offseason. Not much of anything has transpired yet as we're still in the offseason program.

Regardless, the two don't look rusty and find themselves in the same boat of learning Josh McDaniels' offense. The two are just focusing on the basics right now and trying to elevate their teammates around them. We'll start to see how dangerous they can truly be back together once Training Camp starts, but the duo back together on the same field is always a good sight, no matter what capacity.

Alan Jackson asks:

"How do you see the running back pecking order after Jacobs?"

That's a great question Alan, and honestly, it's still way too early to tell.

Hard to imagine anyone dethroning Josh Jacobs for the starting spot, considering the 24-year-old has racked up 21 rushing touchdowns and over 2,000 rushing yards in the past two seasons. As for Kenyan Drake, his backup last season, he could play a huge role in the passing game in McDaniels' offense.

Behind those two players, the running back competition is completely wide open. The Raiders brought in Brandon Bolden, who won two Super Bowls with McDaniels in New England and already knows the system well. Ameer Abdullah also signed this offseason, who's had a few productive seasons as a lead back with the Detroit Lions. And of course you can't forget about Zamir White and Brittain Brown, the two running backs that were just drafted.

Regardless of where the pecking order draws, it's very clear that McDaniels is going to spread the wealth in the running back room this season. I expect for everyone to get their fair shake at seeing some action.

Jarrod Johnson asks:

"Quarterback is most important. What are the Raiders gonna do when we have injuries?"

When we have injuries? Jarrod, get that negative energy out of here bro.

The backup quarterback position is extremely important though, and honestly, one of the most overlooked positions to be in.

"I mean, there's nothing more important than that position," McDaniels said about the quarterback position. "And people say, 'Well, you got an established guy.' We certainly do. And the next guy in line, you don't really talk about him until he's the most important guy in the organization when the starter gets hurt. And so, I know there's a lot of us on the staff that have lived through some of those injuries. I certainly have experience with that. It's a one of the toughest positions, if not the toughest position, to play in all of sports."

With Marcus Mariota and Nathan Peterman both leaving in free agency, McDaniels sought out productive guys who can compete for QB2 behind Carr. He started by signing Nick Mullens, a man who nearly defeated the Raiders last season as a Cleveland Brown. Mullens has started 17 games in his career with 26 passing touchdowns to his name. The Raiders also traded for Jarrett Stidham, a QB drafted by New England in 2019 to be Tom Brady's backup. His addition gives McDaniels another player who already knows his system.

The enigma in the quarterback room is UDFA Chase Garbers from Cal. Garbers threw for 6,580 yards, rushed for 1,174 yards and collected 61 total touchdowns in his four seasons as a Golden Bear.

While Carr is locked in as the starter, the battle between Mullens, Stidham and Garbers could be a position battle to watch in Training Camp.

View the best photos from the fifth day of the Las Vegas Raiders' OTAs at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center.

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