Raiders offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor isn’t fighting for a roster spot this year. He’s fighting for a spot in the starting lineup.
“Yeah, it’s been dope,” said the 6-foot-4, 330 pound tackle, who has been in the NFL for seven seasons. “This is the first training camp in my career I’ve been able to come in as a starter, but then that adds more pressure. In this camp, it’s more about solidifying my spot than it is earning it.”
This is Eluemunor’s third season with the Raiders, who signed as a free agent in 2021. Last season, he started all 17 games primarily as right tackle. In his first year in 2021, he joined the team right before the season started and played 14 games with three starts.
But even though he’s atop the depth chart at right tackle, that doesn’t mean Eluemunor doesn’t still have something to prove.
“We have talented guys in the room,” the London, England, native said. “Thayer [Munford], Brandon [Parker], even Justin [Herron], all of them can play right tackle also. So, it’s more about improving everyday myself and solidifying my spot, but then also finding ways to get better.
“I have to go against Maxx [Crosby] every single day and [Malcom] Koonce is developing, he’s getting better and better, and I’m excited to go against Tyree [Wilson] whenever that is. So, that’s what it’s really about this year, more so not really hanging on to last year because that was last year.”
As exciting it is to earn a starting role, it may pale in comparison to his offseason. Eluemunor got married and spent some quality time in London for the first time in 14 years. He also hosted a football camp there.
“Going back to England, that’s something I’ve been trying to plan for let’s say six years now,” he said. “And going back there and being able to host a camp on the same field I actually started playing football on was an amazing experience.”
He said about 90 percent of the kids in the camp had never played football, but he was gratified to introduce them to the sport and put a smile on their faces. There were 55 kids in the camp. He hopes to continue these camps in the future at multiple locations in England for between 150-200 kids.”
But the trip home wasn’t just about teaching kids.
“And going back home and seeing my friends and my family,” he said. “I got to see some guys I went to school with 14 years ago and that definitely hit different because it showed me how far I’ve come and how far I have left to go. And it just made me want to be successful in this sport even more so I can bring it back over there on a bigger platform.”
