Newly signed linebacker Nakobe Dean officially did not dress for the entire Raiders offseason program.
While assistant coach Mike McCoy confirmed that Dean has recently been around the building, he did not appear on the field for OTAs or minicamp this week, with the second day of mandatory practice concluding Wednesday.
“He’s been here. He’s a pro. This is the offseason. The No. 1 thing is that we’re taking it one day at a time,” McCoy said.
“You get through the next couple of days of the minicamp, and then you get through training camp. The key thing is to have everybody as fresh as possible and ready to go for the opener. That’s the No. 1 focus.”
Another free-agent signing for the Raiders was former Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker, who played with Dean at Georgia, and had high praise for the bond they share.
“For me, playing with Nakobe, this is a connection that I have with him way before we got to this level,” Walker said. “It is kind of natural, I know what he is thinking.
“We pick up well off of one another; we feed off of each other really well. I know one day he was in here working out during OTAs, and I picked him up a little bit.”
Dean comes to the Raiders after recording 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception over the course of 47 starts in four seasons with the Eagles.
Kicking competition
After Raiders did not retain Daniel Carlson this past offseason, the door was opened for a new kicker to take over the high-leverage situations.
The Raiders signed former Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay in March.
The 32-year-old Gay has played seven NFL seasons, appearing in 12 games last season. His season started with the Washington Commanders, where he dealt with a lingering back issue and was eventually released due to a string of missed field goals.
He then signed with the San Francisco 49ers, appeared in two games, and was 4-for-4on his field-goal attempts.
However, when it seemed like it would be a one-man audition for the starting job, the Raiders believed they found a diamond in the rough in Kansei Matsuzawa, better known as “The Tokyo Toe.”
The undrafted free agent signed with the Raiders after becoming a household name at the University of Hawaii, after famously teaching himself to kick off of just YouTube videos at 20 years old.
Matsuzawa tied an FBS record with 25 consecutive field goals made in a single season and also became the first consensus All-American in program history.
“The good thing about having Matt, I’ve been with him before, and Matt’s really helped Special K [Kansei Matsuzawa] quite a bit,” Raiders special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said. “He’s done a good job as far as getting him squared away with some of his technique and some of that, which is great for an older guy to be able to do.
“The competition’s been good. Hopefully, we can get Matt back on the same plane he was on when I had him in LA, and I think Special K is going to be really good down the road, too.”
JPJ returns
After not participating in team drills on the first day of mandatory minicamp, offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson was a full participant Wednesday to conclude the Raiders’ offseason program.
Powers-Johnson is set to play a big role on the Raiders offensive line alongside former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
Last season, Powers-Johnson was asked to move around the offensive line, playing both center and guard at different points of the year. Following the Linderbaum signing, he will now most likely find stability at the guard position in his second NFL season.
Linderbaum was brought into play in both a leadership role and fortifying a front that allowed 64 sacks in 2025, the most in the NFL.
Crosby remains out
After previously stating that he was “close” to returning, Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby remained a non-participant in practice to close out mandatory minicamp. He did take part in warmups alongside his teammates, maintaining a daily presence during OTAs and minicamp.
