Several Raiders new projected starters not in attendance at OTA practice

· Yahoo Sports

There are a lot of new faces to the Las Vegas Raiders roster this offseason. A few of those new faces were not with their teammates Wednesday for day two of OTA practices.

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All five of the players reportedly not on the field for the Raiders are new to the team. Nakobe Dean and Jalen Nailor were among the team's priority free agent signing back in March. Both are expected to be full time starters.

In Dean's absence, and with Tommy Eichenberg also not practicing, it was second-year LB Cody Lindenberg who got first team reps alongside Quay Walker.

Taron Johnson was acquired back in March in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. He is said to be looking for a contract restructure that offers him more guaranteed money as his current deal only carries $1.175 million in guarantees. Johnson was acquired to be the starting nickel corner for the Raiders.

Benito Jones was just recently signed as a free agent last week. The veteran comes in at a nose tackle spot with no established starter, which means he has a very good opportunity to earn a starting role. Once he arrives, that is.

Matt Gay was signed in early March. His absence leaves undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa more of a shot to prove he can break into the league right away. Gay is an established veteran entering his eighth NFL season, so he offers some stability at the position to ensure the Raiders have a good option going into the season.

Keep in mind, these workouts are voluntary. The players need not have a specific reason and it isn't necessarily to be counted against them should they not attend. We are simply noting they were not in attendance.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Several Raiders new projected starters not in attendance at OTA practice

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