The Raiders wanted to “solidify” the left guard position after trading Kelechi Osemele to the Jets. After seeing Richie Incognito in the offseason program, the Raiders believe they have done just that.
“He’s pretty good,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said, via Scott Bair of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “I like him. He’s a Pro Bowl left guard. The last time he strapped it on, he wasn’t just good, he was one of the best.”
Incognito has worked with the first team, although General Manager Mike Mayock has said the Raiders won’t really know what they have in Incognito until training camp. Incognito’s competition, Denzelle Good, currently is dealing with what is believed to be a minor injury.
Incognito, 35, has not played since 2017 when he earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl honor and the fourth of his career. Incognito will have to prove he is fully committed to the Raiders and a return to the NFL and is not taking his baggage with him to Oakland.
“I’ve spent a lot of time talking with Richie, and this is not a far-fetched comeback that he’s trying to make,” Gruden said. “This is something he has thought a lot about. He walked away from the game for very good reasons; I’m not going to get into that. We like where he is. We like what he’s done and the potential of what he can do for us.”