The big question heading into any preseason game is whether a team’s starters are going to play. Ahead of Thursday’s matchup with new head coach Pete Carroll’s former team, the Seattle Seahawks, Carroll indicated that the Las Vegas Raiders will be playing their starters.
“Everybody’s live,” Carroll said via The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “Everybody’s ready to go.”
It’s unclear if that means Raider Nation will get its first chance to see new starting quarterback Geno Smith and how many of the Silver and Black’s starters will suit up. However, the head coach didn’t shoot the idea down.
Smith will be looking to show his former club what they’re missing after spending five seasons in Seattle, four with Carroll, and making two Pro Bowls before getting traded to Las Vegas for a third-round pick in the offseason.
It will also be interesting to see which offensive line hits the field first for the Raiders. The coaching staff has been tweaking the interior linemen during training camp and released an unofficial depth chart on Monday. Dylan Parham is listed as the starting left guard, Jordan Merdith is at center, and the right guard spot was given an “or” between Jackson Powers-Johnson and Alex Cappa.
Additionally, the defensive lineup will be noteworthy given that Las Vegas is replacing several starters from last year’s team, including recently released Christian Wilkins. So, keep an eye on the defensive tackles, linebackers and cornerbacks on Thursday night.
Per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seattle won’t be playing its starters in the game, meaning Las Vegas’ first-stringers will be facing backups if they do hit the field.
Thursday’s game between the Raiders and Seahawks will kickoff at 7 p.m. PST and will be broadcast locally on FOX-5, Raiders.com and in the Raiders app, per the team’s website.
See More:
