August 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tackle Menelik Watson (71) is helped off the field after an injury during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland Raiders right tackle Menelik Watson is done with his injury fears, telling reporters he has developed a positive mindset going into the 2016 season.

Former Oakland Raiders second-round pick Menelik Watson has had a difficult career with the Silver and Black. Injury setbacks forcing the promising offensive lineman to miss time in all of his three NFL seasons, including all of 2015 after an Achilles’ injury shut him down before the season even started.

Sitting out a full year and rehabbing the injury, Watson has developed a new mentality about his health after years of struggling mentally over the weight of his poor injury luck. Watson telling CSN Bay Area’s Scott Bair that he has completely changed his mentality to stop worrying and focus on enjoying his time as an NFL player with the Raiders.

“There’s a real change in mentality,” Watson told Bair in a recent interview at Raiders training camp. “I’m not worried about getting injured. I’m not worried about making mistakes. I’m focused on getting better and just playing free. I cherish every day where I get to out and have fun.”

“I don’t like to stay negative,” Watson added. “…Being in America living out my dream should be a great experience. If you focus on negatives, you get stuck on them. You just can’t progress.”

It would be difficult to develop a positive attitude about the type of struggles that Watson has had so far in his career, but it is encouraging to see a positive mindset coming from the player as he continues to battle for the starting right tackle job with veteran Austin Howard. The key for Watson is staying on the field as he has clear talent and potential, so hopefully a positive mindset can be the catalyst for Watson to finally put together a full season with the Raiders after years of disappointing career setbacks from the former second round pick.