McDaniels: Munford, Eluemunor 'Earned This Opportunity'
Las Vegas Raiders offensive tackles Jermaine Eluemunor and Thayer Munford Jr. were in a position battle at right tackle all through training camp.
While Eluemunor got the start in the Raiders' Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos, the two occasionally exchanged snaps, with Munford sometimes also coming in as an extra tight end.
In total, Eluemunor saw 54 offensive snaps, while Munford saw 18.
Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels believes the rotating the two will pay off down the road.
"Thayer and Jermaine have busted their butts, man, and really worked hard at competing with each other," McDaniels told reporters in a virtual press conference Monday. "I think they're very unselfish. thought both of them did some good things yesterday in the football game. Thayer obviously helps us ... as the jumbo tight end. So, he's on the right and the left kind of just by the nature of playing some of that position as well. But to me, it's if you have good football players, and they've earned the right to play -- I know most people don't consider that: 'Well, you don't rotate' -- we didn't rotate them the entire game long. But we have more than two receivers who can play; we have more than one back. And so, those guys earned that.
"And so, I think it only helps us if we're going to need it eventually during the season, which obviously at some point, we will. And that's what the game of football tells us. So, I think they both acquitted themselves decently, and they both earned this opportunity. But I was really happy with the way that they played when they were in there."
Eluemunor is in his third season with the Silver and Black, while Munford has entered his second, coming off a rookie campaign in which he made four starts in 17 games.
The Silver and Black remain on the road next week as they travel to play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 1:05 p.m. EDT/10:05 a.m. PDT.
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