One of the first observations of today's OTA for the Raiders was the absence of Kevin Burnett. The veteran linebacker was the only player missing from practice today which of course raised some questions especially on a team with so many new faces and positions open for competition.

Dennis Allen's response as to why Burnett was not in attendance "Because it's voluntary."

Allen said Burnett was healthy and "He's just not here."

"I've had communication with Kevin this whole time," Allen continued. "This is a voluntary camp. Players can make their own decisions and they have families and things in their personal lives that they have to make sure they take care of. I'm not concerned about that at all.

For Burnett's part, he will be looking at the very strong possibility of being demoted due to the team's drafting of Khalil Mack with the fifth overall pick. A demotion could potentially put his roster spot in danger as well as most backup linebackers don't get paid as much as he does and they also tend to play special teams.

It isn't altogether unusual for a veteran to miss OTA practice. They often have their own training regimen and ways of preparing. Although usually that is a veteran who is entrenched as the starter on a team without a lot of turnover. It's the reason every other veteran on this team was here.

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