Klint Kubiak addresses the mystery of missing Nakobe Dean: Raiders notebook

HENDERSON, Nev. — Nakobe Dean was signed to be a key piece of the Las Vegas Raiders’ rebuilt defensive core. The veteran linebacker hasn’t been able to show it yet.

Dean has been in the Raiders’ building, as confirmed by coaches and evident by his presence at the team’s media day. But the 25-year-old hasn’t been on the field, missing OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

Asked whether Dean’s absence has been due to injury, head coach Klint Kubiak neither confirmed nor denied.

“Nakobe’s been here every day in practice,” Kubiak said. “But all injuries and things like that, I don’t want to talk about at this time of year. We just want to get all of our guys healthy to training camp. That’s really the most important thing.”

Dean signed a three-year, $36 million contract in March, setting up a pairing with fellow free-agent acquisition and former Georgia teammate Quay Walker. Dean was a productive player during his first four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, compiling 226 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. But he also struggled to stay on the field, missing 21 games over the last three seasons due to injury.

Assistant head coach Mike McCoy said there’s “no concern” with Dean’s absences. He added that the “No. 1 focus” at this point in the offseason is to “have everybody as fresh as possible and ready to go for the opener.” Walker said it hasn’t been disappointing to not have Dean on the field with him so far, as he’s still present with the team.

“You never know what could have happened, or whatever the case may be,” Walker said. “But he’s still here every day. That’s all I can really say as of now.”

The Raiders are eager to get Dean back. Linebackers coach Ronell Williams, who came over from Philadelphia with him, described him as a “multiplier” who can establish culture on and off the field. And Walker said his connection with his college teammate can help the duo achieve their best.

“We can feed off each other real, real well,” Walker said. “Some days we’re all human, so some days he may come in, he may not be feeling it a little bit, or I may not be feeling it, but we can like feel each other’s energy. We could just pick up and push one another.”

Jermod McCoy’s timeline

The only other absence from the Raiders’ two mandatory minicamp practices was Jermod McCoy. The rookie cornerback hasn’t participated in a practice since the team’s first open OTAs session on May 20.

A cartilage issue in his right knee is believed to have caused McCoy, viewed as a first-round talent, to fall to the fourth round in April’s NFL Draft. The Raiders have a plan to help McCoy manage his health, spearheaded by wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero, according to Kubiak. The head coach said that McCoy’s absences have been a part of said program.

“He’s done a great job,” Kubiak said. “We’re asking him to spend a lot of time with AG just to get him ready so that when we put him out there come training camp, we have 100% confidence in him, and him the same way. But really excited about seeing him practice come training camp. AG has got a great plan with our medical staff, and we’re bringing him along slowly.”

Kubiak later confirmed that he expects McCoy to practice during training camp.

“It’s gonna be a moving target with him, but we drafted him for a reason,” Kubiak said. “We drafted him to play. So I expect him to compete in camp and get plenty of reps.”

McCoy’s participation upon arrival in Las Vegas was a good sign for his health. After being limited during rookie minicamp, he appeared to practice fully in OTAs. But the Raiders have pulled back on his involvement since then. How much he practices during training camp will provide more clarity on his availability going forward.

Mendoza making mistakes, learning lessons

Fernando Mendoza said he feels “leaps and bounds ahead of where I was” entering the summer break as compared to when he arrived in Las Vegas. But the draft’s No. 1 pick certainly has more growing to do.

Mendoza got the opportunity to work against some of the Raiders’ projected first-team defensive players during the final minicamp practice, as Kirk Cousins rested for the majority of team periods. It was the first session open to the media that featured the rookie going up against players with extensive starting experience, as he had been working predominantly with the third team and some with the second team. He and Aidan O’Connell split drives as Cousins observed and coached from behind.

As expected with a step up in competition, Mendoza’s operation wasn’t as clean. He was less accurate than in prior practices — he threw behind a few receivers, resulting in deflections and incompletions. Miscommunications appeared to occur as well. Mendoza also would have been sacked twice in team situations, once by Malcolm Koonce and another by JJ Pegues.

Mendoza said there have been mistakes he’s made in practice “for sure,” and that those have left him frustrated. But he added that his displeasure is “good and healthy,” as it forces him to address his issues.

“When you’re frustrated about it, you put more focus and intent on not making that mistake again, and like the coaches say, there’s no problem making a mistake, but you don’t want to be a repeat offender,” Mendoza said. “I’m just doing my best not to play tense … because then you will consequently have mistakes, but more of really dialing in, reading my notes every single night, seeing the common themes and common trends, trying to work on those common technique themes and trends, and then apply them over the weekend.”

Mendoza said he and the rookies are staying a few extra days to work with the Raiders on developing plans for their upcoming time off. The quarterback plans on taking some rest days, which are likely needed after training non-stop since last fall. But much of his focus will remain on learning from his first NFL action and developing ahead of training camp.

Defensive versatility

The creativity of Rob Leonard’s defense continued to flourish throughout minicamp, particularly with his off-ball defenders.

Walker and defensive backs Jeremy Chinn and Taron Johnson played all over the field during the sessions, showing that each will serve in versatile roles under Leonard. Walker, who was almost exclusively an inside linebacker with the Green Bay Packers, said he’s now “playing more positions that I probably ever played in my career.” Walker admitted it’s been challenging, but he’s embraced his varied roles.

“This is what I’ve always wanted to do,” Walker said. “I always want to be a guy who can move around and play multiple positions.”

Raiders defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Joe Woods already said the team plans on switching up its secondary alignment play-to-play. But it appears they’re keen on doing so with several position groups. Walker said he thinks the maneuvers will be advantageous on game days.

“It’s a lot for the offense going in that week ahead of it,” Walker said. “We have a lot of guys that played this, play that, they just move around in a lot of areas, so now it’s kind of hard to scout against us and tell what we are doing. Say, for instance, I’m on the line, you never know if I’m going to drop or if I’m going to rush, whether that’s to the field or the boundary. Same thing with Chinn, Kwity (Paye), no matter what the case may be, Maxx (Crosby). Just a whole lot, it kind of helps and plays hand in hand with the whole defense.”

With Leonard being a first-time coordinator, there’s no tape for anyone to study. The coach said he likes that confusion, and it appears creating uncertainty will be a key component of his scheme. Causing mistakes will be critical for this unit, as the Raiders were incapable of forcing turnovers or making splash plays a season ago.