One Player the Raiders Are Significantly Depending On

The Las Vegas Raiders are under Pete Carroll's guidance heading into the 2025 season and it is already evident Carroll is a game changer for Las Vegas.

Update on the Rookies

Following practice during Week 1, Carroll gave an update on how Thornton has progressed as the team prepares to face the New England Patriots. Thornton will be a vital part of the Raiders' game plan.

"Well, he's done really well. He's continued to improve throughout, and his confidence is up. He's had plenty of good practice work and against our best guys. That shows that he's worthy of doing a lot of playing for us," Carroll said.

Raiders veteran quarterback Geno Smith also noted that Thornton has progressed nicely. Still, while the Raiders need Thornton and the rookies to play well, they need much more than just the rookies to step up this season, as Las Vegas needs all the help it can get.

"Yeah, doesn't matter if it's a rookie, veteran. It takes reps, and all of us, we have to learn each other. And so Dont'e [Thornton] done a tremendous job at being available as well as working hard, and he's asking the right questions. He's made so many plays throughout camp," Smith said.

"Made that great play against the Cardinals. And there's a lot that we expect of him, but we got to manage those expectations, and we really got to focus on the work, the day-to-day work, and so developing guys like that, it's about the process over the results. And so we want to make sure that he's getting better each day."

Smith noted that Thornton, as well as the other rookies the Raiders added have performed well so far. However, with the regular season here, everything is much more meaningful now than most of the rookies are prepared

"The same as we've seen, for them to get better with each and every rep, for them to go out there and showcase the ability that they have, as well as the hard work that they're putting in, but to also go out there and be themselves," Smith said.

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (10) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"We expect great things from those guys. We got a lot of rookies on this team that are going to be called upon, and so they've been doing a great job so far. All they got to do is just keep doing what they're doing, and we should be fine."

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