Oakland Raiders: 6 Critical training camp battles to watch

Free Safety

Reggie Nelson vs. Obi Melifonwu vs. Marcus Gilchrist

As a 2011 second-round pick, Gilchrist broke into the league as a cornerback with the then-San Diego Chargers, but he’s played both safety positions over the past four seasons with the team that drafted him, the New York Jets and Houston Texans.

During the spring, Gruden mentioned Gilchrist as a standout with versatility. Guenther will likely use him in the slot in certain situations in combination with Worley. He’s also a solid option on the back end due to his ability to flip positions with Reggie Nelson and Karl Joseph in certain scenarios.

We all saw Nelson lose a step last year. The 34-year old still holds value, but he’s better suited for specific packages as Guenther suggested, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.

"“Reggie played 99 percent of the snaps last year. We’re not going to have guys playing 99 percent of the snaps. Your goal is to play in this package or that package.”"

Second-year safety Obi Melifonwu continues to work his way back into the action, but Gruden hasn’t seen enough to seriously consider him a starter yet. According to Tafur, the Raiders head coach says the Connecticut product has “a lot of ground to make up.”

The Raiders signed Gilchrist to a one-year, $4 million deal, and Nelson signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract, per Spotrac. Both will make the roster, but the 29-year-old takes the bigger role because of his versatility.

Projected Winner: Marcus Gilchrist