Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has done a masterful job the past three seasons of adding talent to a once-depleted roster.
Players from Khalil Mack and Derek Carr to Kelechi Osemele and Sean Smith now make Oakland a possible contender for the AFC West in 2016.
But there may be another reason to believe this Raiders team is different than others in the franchise’s recent past: competitiveness.
Based on the way players have been going after one another the past few days in training camp, this Raiders team may have a lot of fire and drive in 2016.
On Thursday, a tussle broke out between left tackle Donald Penn and middle linebacker Ben Heeney, reported Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group. Later, rookie running back Jalen Richard and defensive end Damontre Moore fought. Durkin reported Thursday’s practice had “the most intensity” of any yet at the Napa training camp.
After practice, quarterback Derek Carr – who had to step in at one point to separate players – told the media that he’s loving the fire he’s seeing every day in camp.
“I like the chippy-ness,” he said. “I love the competitiveness. … They’re not doing it just because they don’t like somebody. They’re doing it because maybe someone got the best of somebody or they played a little too hard.”
