Storylines? You want major Raiders storylines heading into training camp?

Sure, we can talk (and type) ad nauseam about No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza, and when he might be ready to take over under center (and in shotgun) as the Raiders' franchise quarterback.

Or we can pontificate on Maxx Crosby's return and what a new 3-4 base defense looks like with him wreaking havoc from the outside.

There's also the Raiders' re-imagined offensive line, anchored by the crown jewel of the O-line free agency class, center Tyler Linderbaum. And the two new heat-seeking missiles at linebacker who are not only in the primes of their careers but already know how to win in Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.

That's not to mention returning and ascending stars like tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty, who should benefit mightily from that new-look O-line.

No, those storylines are too easy to mine, too plentiful for this exercise.

Instead, let's zoom in on special teams, an oft-overlooked part of the game. A phase of the game that can and often does tilt the balance between winning and losing.

Here, then, are three under-the-radar storylines to watch in training camp…special teams style.

The Tokyo Toe vs. Matt Gay

For the first time since 2018, there is uncertainty at kicker for the Raiders, what with Daniel Carlson, who took over kicking duties in Week 8 of that season, not re-signed. Instead, seven-year veteran Matt Gay, who kicked for new special teams coach Joe DeCamillis with the Rams in his 2021 Pro Bowl season and in 2022, should find himself in a battle as entertaining as it is intriguing after signing as a free agent.

Look, Raider Nation is as inclusive as it is global and Kansei Matsuzawa, who taught himself how to kick by watching YouTube videos after attending a Raiders game in Oakland in 2018, is as compelling a figure in camp as any other.

You think those MENDOZA jerseys are popular? Imagine jerseys with MATSUZAWA, or 松澤寛政, on the back flying off shelves in Hawaii, where he was a consensus All-American, and in Japan, his home country.

Thing is, Matsuzawa, signed as an undrafted rookie and working on another nickname to go with "The Tokyo Toe," is still learning the game.

"Matt's really helped 'Special K' quite a bit," DeCamillis said. "He's done a good job as far as getting him squared away with some of his technique and some of that, which is great for an older guy to be able to do, especially when you're competing for the job. But the competition's been good.

"Hopefully, we can get Matt back on the same plane that he was when I had him in LA, and I think 'Special K' is going to be really good too down the road. So, it should be a hell of a competition."

Gay, though, has missed 20 of 101 field-goal attempts over the last three seasons combined, and was just 15-of-31 (48.4%) from 50 yards and longer in that same time frame (the NFL success average from 50-plus yards was 69.1% in that time frame, 70.0% without Gay's stats).

Matsuzawa, meanwhile, made his first 25 field goals last season, en route to finishing 27-of-29, along with successfully converting all 40 point-after attempts, In fact, he was 72-72 in PATs in two years at Hawaii.

Still, the Tokyo Toe, er, Special K attempted just two field-goals of at least 50 yards in two seasons for the Rainbow Warriors, going 1-of-2.

And in the NFL today, attempting 50-yarders are near as commonplace as PATs. So it was, ahem, intriguing, then, to see Matsuzawa boom a pair of 60-yarders in mandatory minicamp…with room to spare.

"It's going to be a heck of a story," DeCamillis said. "And, hopefully, he's able to compete with Matt and we pick the best guy."

See, intriguing.

What about the kick and punt returners?

The guy who ranked fourth in the NFL in kick return average (Raheem Mostert, who averaged 29.3 yards on 23 returns) is gone, even as his 40.4 yards average on five returns in Week 9 is the best single-game average since the new return rules were implemented in 2024. Same thing with the guy who led the Raiders in punt returns (Alex Bachman, who returned 22 punts and averaged 5.6 yards per return with nine fair catches).

And sure, Dylan Laube (a team-leading 33 kick returns for 855 yards and a solid 25.9 yards average) is back and so, too, is Tre Tucker (seven punt returns for 49 yards and four fair catches). But with Tucker essentially WR1 now, perhaps his special teams snap count should taper off, no?

Well…

Yes, training camp will reveal all but with a new ST coach in DeCamillis on board, there will be an added emphasis in that phase of the game.

Look, the Raiders have not had a kickoff return for a touchdown since Jacoby Ford's 101-yard tour de force against the Browns in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2011. And the last Raiders player to return a punt for a score was Dwayne Harris with his whimsical 99-yard oh, no-oh, yes number against the Broncos on Christmas Eve, 2018.

The Raiders need speed and daring at both returner spots so keep an eye on rookies Mike Washington, Jr., Malik Benson, Jermod McCoy, so long as his knee checks out, and Hezekiah Masses, as well as vets Dareke Young and Greedy Vance, in any combination.

Still, DeCamillis was impressed with Laube in minicamp.

"He's another one that's really, really sharp, gets the game, and he knows the way he's going to make [the team] is by the more he can do, and he's accentuated that all the way through [mini]camp," DeCamillis said. "And I really like him so far. Obviously … we haven't put any pads on or any of that stuff, so you'll find out more as we go through it, but I really like the kid so far, for sure, and I think he's going to be a good player for us."

For what it's worth, the Raiders ranked eighth in the NFL in kick return average last season (27.1) but just 31st in punt returns (6.0).

Whither AJ Cole?

The Raiders have long been known for cultivating acclaimed kicker-punter duos, from Chris Bahr and Ray Guy to Jeff Jaeger and Jeff Gossett to Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler to Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole.

Cole now finds himself the lone man standing. He not only has to break in a new kicker, as explained earlier, but, for the second time in three seasons, a new long snapper in either Alex Ward or rookie Tyler Duzansky after Jacob Bobenmoyer was allowed to walk in free agency.

He also finds himself standing alone atop the Mt. Olympus of current punters.

Kinda.

Because while Baltimore's Jordan Stout is the NFL's reigning First-Team All-Pro punter, Cole is the league's current all-time leader in yards per punt average at 48.5.

Cole is already a two-time First-Team All-Pro (2021 and 2023) and a three-time Pro Bowler (2021, 2022 and 2023) but last season's 47.6 average was his lowest since 2020.

"The biggest thing is I just have a violent case of imposter syndrome," Cole said. "I just don't think I stack up. I kick with other guys in the offseason constantly, and I'm always only remembering their good punts and then deleting their bad punts. And then, when I look back at my own session, I only remember my bad punts, and I forget all the good ones.

"I think the reason that I've produced on the field the way I've produced is because of the work I've put in. It's because of the processes I have in place, and it's not like I have something different in my genetics that makes me predisposed to be better at punting … so, I don't think there's anything special or unique about me. I think what's special and unique is the work that I do, and so that's what keeps me going."

It's true, change is the only constant in sports so the storyline here is…how does Cole, a model of consistency throughout his seven-year career, react with so much change around him, especially as the holder on kicks?

"It's just reps, I mean, it's just doing the work," Cole said. "It's just showing up here every single day, getting the work in, and then being really intentional about those reps and asking [the kickers], 'Hey, how do you want this? How do you want that? How do you want this done?'

"It's also the mental aspect of it, of like, I see myself not only as the holder when I'm out there, but also as their caddy. So like, 'What do you want from me in terms of communication? Do you want me to talk a lot? Do you want me to just shut up? Do you want me to just listen? Do you want me to ask questions?... Do you want advice? Do you want feedback? What is it that you're looking for?'... Daniel and I, we worked together for so long, we were completely speaking the same language."