Oakland Raiders Offseason State of the Union
It’s about that time of the year to deliver the Oakland Raiders’ offseason state of the union. We’re not discussing foreign policies or economic climates, but for Raider Nation this is the consummate overview of the roster at its current state.
The Raiders had a busy offseason. General manager Reggie McKenzie led a progressive free-agent signing period and drafted 10 players. Roster turnover was needed in Oakland. Since McKenzie’s hire as GM in 2012, the franchise has 11 wins.
Starting with Jack Del Rio’s hire, the somber-smelling air around Alameda changed drastically. The team brought in impact free agents and let go of players on their last legs.
Del Rio added a fiery defensive coordinator to instill change on defense. He also hired a quarterbacks coach who spent a full season with offensive guru Chip Kelly.
Oakland received rave reviews from analysts, such as NFL.com's Bryan Fischer, who probably haven’t taken the Raiders seriously in nearly a decade.
Is it possible these wholesale changes equate to a turnaround for the silver and black? We’ll address the makeup of the roster as it stands before heading into training camp in this comprehensive state of the union address.
Pass Offense on the Rise
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This particular area made the most strides in the offseason. The Raiders will surpass the San Diego Chargers as the second-best passing offense in the AFC West behind Peyton Manning and his wide receiver corps.
Quarterback Derek Carr isn’t quite surgical in his operation on opposing defenses, but he has the skill set and the leadership qualities to lead a team down the field in critical situations. Carr’s leadership quality became apparent to running back Roy Helu as soon as he arrived in Oakland, per Raiders.com writer Rebecca Corman.
"That offense will be led by QB Derek Carr, a presence that Helu Jr. greatly appreciates. Once I came here, I knew who the leader was,” said Helu Jr. "Derek was that guy and I’ve seen how he’s brought everything together. His leadership is very evident."
At the beginning of training camp, the hysteria surrounding Carr’s mysterious finger injury put Raider Nation on edge. Well, he practiced during mandatory minicamp and continues to throw accurate darts during his off time, per Carr’s Instagram. I don’t know about you, but it looks like he’s ready for some football.
Carr’s perimeter options are the second half of this equation. The Raiders drafted wide receiver Amari Cooper with the fourth overall pick weeks after signing Michael Crabtree to a one-year deal, per Spotrac.com. Carr has two first-round talents to target out of the huddle.
Backup QB Matt McGloin can chime in on Rod Streater’s ability to rack up yards every time he touches the ball. Streater averaged 15 and 14.8 yards per catch in his first two years before a shortened 2014 season due to injury. He returns at full speed for 2015 in unison with a solid veteran in Crabtree and a dynamic playmaker in Cooper.
Carr managed to throw 21 touchdowns without the three aforementioned receivers. It’s unimaginable what he’ll accomplish in 2015 after a full offseason with his new cast. If injury strikes the wide receiver corps, Carr’s primary target from the 2014 season Andre Holmes and former college teammate Josh Harper provide solid depth to fill in the gaps.
Latavius Murray Is the Key to Complete Offense
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Carr needs help from the rushing attack in order to revitalize the offense. In 2014, he ranked seventh in pass attempts among starting quarterbacks, which isn’t a good sign. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan led that category. Both are exceptionally talented, but they missed the playoffs with sub-.500 records.
Oakland needs the threat of running back Latavius Murray gashing opposing defenses for extended runs to break the game open or control the tempo. The Raiders are confident in their young RB, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan via Twitter:
"#Raiders source on RB Latavius Murray: "Has a chance at a huge year in this system. Because he is smart, physically a freak."
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) June 9, 2015"
That optimism has spread outward as analysts break down Murray’s film and anticipate a productive year as the lead back in Oakland.
Marc Sessler of NFL.com spent time in the film room dissecting Murray’s attributes bit by bit:
"What jumps off the screen on Game Rewind is Murray's ability to fly. His 4.38 wheels help bolster a total Speed Score of 121, which ranks above Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Eddie Lacy, Marshawn Lynch and Le'Veon Bell. The typical NFL back owns a Speed Score of roughly 100.
With ESPN.com's Bill Williamson noting that Richardson "has shown no explosion," Murray is on tap to see high-volume work in Oakland. While the Raiders have a long way to go, they can point to Latavius as one young player with plenty of potential.
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Del Rio didn’t hand the opportunity to Murray, but he’s pleased with the strides made during the offseason, per ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson:
"Wednesday, Del Rio expressed satisfaction in Murray’s progression. Right now, he’s been running with the lead group, but he knows that he has to earn that through camp, through the preseason,” Del Rio said. “But he’s done a nice job this offseason. He is taking steps and growing as a young player.
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The arrow is pointing upward for Murray, and if he’s able to expand on his small sample size, the Raiders could potentially finish with a 1,000-yard ball-carrier, a feat unaccomplished since Darren McFadden in 2010.
Strengthening the Right Side of the Offensive Line
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In 2014, the Raiders offensive line ranked 12th in pass blocking and 30th in run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. The poor run-blocking grade could be attributed to the meager efforts of the running backs for the first 10 weeks of the season.
McFadden averaged 3.4 yards per carry, while Maurice Jones-Drew averaged a dreaded 2.4 yards per carry. The offensive line can clear huge running lanes, but the back needs to hit these holes with urgency. Murray was the only back to provide that explosiveness last season. His early involvement in the rushing attack should help the offensive run-blocking schemes in 2015.
Both Austin Howard and Menelik Watson were far better run-blockers than pass-blockers in 2014. Despite the moving parts on the right side of the offensive line this offseason, the Raiders wouldn’t be foolish to start the same personnel on the offensive line from the previous season. Carr was only sacked 24 times in his rookie year, which ranked 24th among starting quarterbacks in sacks.
J’Marcus Webb and Khalif Barnes supply depth, but neither linemen provides a significant upgrade over Howard or Watson—both of whom carry a heavy investment. Watson is a former second-round pick, and Howard signed a five-year, $30 million contract in 2014.
Both offensive linemen are skilled enough in run-blocking schemes to assist Murray in a breakout season. Unfortunately, they’re competing against each other for the starting right tackle job, which leaves Barnes as the only satisfactory option at right guard for the upcoming season.
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Stout Front Seven Needs Another Pass-Rusher to Step Up
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Oakland’s rush defense is stacked with playmakers and body mass. Defensive tackles Dan Williams and Justin Ellis form an impenetrable wall for ball-carriers. Veteran inside linebacker Curtis Lofton provides quick and instinctive playmaking abilities.
Say what you want about second-round pick Mario Edwards Jr.’s pass-rushing skills, but there’s no doubt about his ability to blow up a play in the backfield as a run-stopper. In his last two years at Florida State, he recorded 20.5 tackles for a loss.
He’s a power defensive end who uses a mix of athleticism and strength to make plays. It remains to be seen whether that translates to sacks in the NFL, which leads to the biggest concern about this front seven.
The most accomplished pass-rusher is a 32-year-old Justin Tuck, while outside linebacker Khalil Mack spent his offseason preparing to ramp up his sack total. The coaching staff intends to help him accomplish that goal, per SilverandBlackPride.com writer Levi Damien:
"The overall feeling between Mack and his coaches would suggest they plan to put him in the position to get those number up. I asked Mack if he expects to rush the passer more this season, and he said he absolutely will.
Oh, man, yeah. That's what this game is now," Mack said emphatically. "It's a throwing game, so you're going to have more opportunities to rush the passer and that's what I'm looking forward to."
Whether Mack rushes the passer more is not as simple as whether the team is playing in a 3-4 or a 4-3. There were several times I noted during minicamps that Mack lined up at what appeared to be a straight up defensive end position in a 4-3 alignment. There were other times in the offseason he was standing up in a strongside linebacker role with some 3-4 outside linebacker mixed in.
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Mack should expect double-teams when he flashes off the edge. He has the strength, speed and athleticism to reach double-digit sack totals, but he cannot be the lone wolf in stalking quarterbacks. Edwards or Tuck must threaten the pocket to an extent to free some space for Mack’s point of attack.
The Raiders have the depth at linebacker to reposition Mack, although that idea doesn’t seem like an option, according to his quote. However, it’s a valid strategy in case Tuck goes down with an injury or struggles with consistency playing a high volume of snaps.
Sixth-round pick Max Valles provides another viable option in case of an anemic pass rush. He’s raw, but after accumulating more sacks in one year (nine) than Edwards in his entire collegiate career (eight), prepping him for Tuck’s spot becomes a reasonable possibility.
Regardless of who it is, someone other than Mack must step up with a big appetite for devouring passers.
The Future Is Now for Inexperienced Cornerbacks
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The Raiders cornerbacks aren’t easing their way into the starting lineup. This upcoming season becomes a statement year for the inexperienced cornerbacks in Oakland.
D.J. Hayden, Travis Carrie and Keith McGill combined have less than 16 starts. The top three corners on the depth chart have a combined 15 starts, but McKenzie hasn’t flinched in the face of inexperience.
According to a Raiders source, Hayden doesn’t have the tools to lead as a shutdown corner, but apparently he's good enough to start, per Caplan via Twitter:
"Another #Raiders source on CB D.J. Hayden: "May never be a star, but way he closed last season left everyone excited about his progress."
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) June 5, 2015"
That explains why McGill took some first-team reps over Hayden during mandatory minicamp, per Williamson. Oakland doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 defender in the secondary, but it trusts the young trio as a developing unit in pass coverage.
Right now, Carrie passes the eyeball test as the best of the trio. There’s a reason why he transitioned from a seventh-round pick in 2014 to a part-time starter as a rookie.
McGill is the X-factor with the most intriguing physical tools at 6’3”, 211 pounds but the least experienced of the three. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if McGill and Hayden swap positioning at some point during the season.
Special Teams Are Solid Pending a Kick Returner
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The core of a solid special teams unit hinges on the depth of a football team. The Raiders have an abundance of talent at linebacker.
According to Williamson, rookie linebackers Ben Heeney and Neiron Ball provide the energy needed to bolster special teams coverage. Both linebackers could potentially garner extended playing time on defense after earning their keeps covering kick and punt returns.
Special teams coordinator Brad Seely isn’t concerned about the point-after-attempt rule changes, per CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair:
"I think anytime you make a rule that makes it harder, it always favors the guys that have more talent,” Seely said last week. “I think we have really talented kickers, so I don’t think that rule, maybe, will be as big a deal to us as it might be to somebody else in the sense that our guys are pretty good at 33-yard kicks.
That’s certainly true. Janikowski has only missed two field goal attempts inside 39 yards in the last seven years. A 33-yard attempt is converted at a roughly 94 percent clip.
Seely’s calm demeanor isn’t just a cover-up, Sebastian Janikowski is an accurate kicker with a iron leg. Despite the fact Oakland voted against the rule changes, per USA Today’s Lindsay Jones via Twitter, the team has the least to worry about when kicking from 33 yards out.
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After seventh-round pick Andre Debose hurt his Achilles, per Williamson, kick returns pose the only issue on special teams. Austin Willis could potentially earn that starting job over Trindon Holliday during training camp.
Willis is a quick, shifty undersized wide receiver out of Emporia State who plays with a chip on his shoulder and a fire in his belly. He returned kicks in college before taking on wide receiver duties, per Damien. Right now, his return capabilities come with a premium suitable for Oakland’s needs.
Sound off on the Raiders State of the Union report! You can follow Maurice Moton on Twitter and give your input!
Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus, ESPN.com and Sports-Reference.com.
Player contracts and team cap space courtesy of Spotrac. Player measurements courtesy of Raiders.com.
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