Raiders depth chart: First-round pick Joseph not starting

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ALAMEDA – Nate Allen has been on a few depth charts in his day. He has mostly been on top of them at one safety spot, with 72 starts in 79 games played.

That wasn’t expected this season, after the Raiders signed Pro Bowl free safety Reggie Nelson and drafted strong safety Karl Joseph in the first round.

Yet there he was just days before Sunday’s regular-season opener at New Orleans, in a starter’s spot. Allen didn’t put much stock in the designation. Having your name on a piece of paper Tuesday doesn’t mean you’ll start on Sunday morning.

Allen is happy heading into this regular season, after spending most of 2015 sidelined with two separate knee sprains. He’s healthy and playing like it this summer, at both strong and free safety.

“There were a lot of people talking about the depth chart, but I’m focused on the Saints and I’ll let everything else fall into place,” Allen said on Tuesday. “I’m going to stay ready like I always do. I’ve been doing this for seven years, and I know everyone is a play away from stepping in.”

Joseph is still working his way back to 100 percent after tearing an ACL less than a year ago. He played well and made solid progress this preseason after being cleared to practice and play.

[BAIR: Raiders S Karl Joseph still 'climbing that mountain']

“I didn’t expect anything given to me,” Joseph told Bay Area News Group. “I’ve just got to keep learning, keep getting better and keep growing as a player and everything else will fall in its place. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I have no doubt in myself that I’ll get my spot back.”

There were a few other notable switches on the first preseason depth chart, including some shuffling to account for Mario Edwards Jr. being on injured reserve at least half the season. Rookie Jihad Ward moves to his defensive end spot after playing inside early on. He was at Edwards Jr.’s end spot in Thursday’s game at least, and could move around some.

Dan Williams was also listed as a starter next to nose tackle Justin Ellis.

Taiwan Jones remains the second-team running back after barely being used this offseason, likely to preserve his health. How the carry count breaks down will be revealed on Sunday, with DeAndre Washington firmly in the mix.

OFFENSE

WR: Michael Crabtree; Seth Roberts
LT: Donald Penn; Matt McCants
LG: Kelechi Osemele; Jon Feliciano
C: Rodney Hudson; Jon Feliciano
RG: Gabe Jackson; Valdal Alexander
RT: Menelik Watson; Austin Howard
TE: Lee Smith; Clive Walford; Mychal Rivera
WR: Amari Cooper; Andre Holmes; Johnny Holton
RB: Latavius Murray; Taiwan Jones, DeAndre Washington; Jalen Richard
FB: Jamize Olawale

DEFENSE

DE: Jihad Ward; Denico Autry
DT: Dan Williams, Stacy McGee
NT: Justin Ellis; Darius Latham
DE Khalil Mack; Jihad Ward
SLB: Bruce Irvin; Shilique Calhoun
MLB: Ben Heeney; Cory James
WLB: Malcolm Smith; Daren Bates
CB: David Amerson; DJ Hayden; Antonio Hamilton
CB: Sean Smith; TJ Carrie; Dexter McDonald
FS: Reggie Nelson; Keith McGill; Brynden Trawick
SS: Nate Allen; Karl Joseph

SPECIAL TEAMS

P: Marquette King
K: Sebastian Janikowski
H: Marquette King
LS: Jon Condo
KR: Taiwan Jones; DeAndre Washington, Johnny Holton
PR: TJ Carrie; DeAndre Washington, Jalen Richard

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