Oakland Raiders: 5 players with the most to prove in 2019
By Kevin Saito
Richie Incognito
Some undoubtedly believe that Richie Incognito has arguably the most to prove out of anybody on this year’s roster. And should he make the final 53 man roster — which is about as far from guaranteed as you can get at this point — he’s going to have to continue proving himself week in and week out.
Incognito’s indiscretions have been chronicled ad nauseam so there’s no point to hashing them all out yet again. Those indiscretions have turned a lot (maybe most) of people off to this signing and have all but taken to the streets to burn Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock in effigy over it.
Fair enough.
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Given that most folks have already made up their mind about Incognito — and it seems that the majority of sentiment is overwhelmingly negative — it’s probably not a very popular opinion to say that the Incognito signing could turn out to be a very good one from a football standpoint.
From a football-only standpoint, Incognito is still able to produce at a very high level. Injuries, inexperience, and overall bad offensive line play hindered Oakland’s offense last season and made it hard for them to move the ball and put points on the board.
Starting rookies at both tackle spots and injuries along the interior led to the team’s offensive struggles. Incognito could potentially help that situation tremendously.
The caveat, of course, is whether or not he can keep his head on straight. To this point, he’s made a good impression on the coaching staff and seems to be in a better place. And when Incognito is in a good place in his head, he’s in a great place on the field.
The trick is going to be maintaining that good place throughout the season.
All we can do is hope that Incognito has been able to address whatever mental health struggles he’s dealt with and can remain focused on playing solid football. And it’s that uncertainty that will necessitate Incognito proving himself on a weekly basis.