Oakland Raiders OTAs: Latest Player Reports and Analysis
The latest rumblings out of the Oakland Raiders OTAs reveal the expected, the unexpected and some bad news.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of time for the coaching staff to clarify and prepare for what hopes to be a season of significant progression.
Head coach Jack Del Rio was upfront to the media about a specific area that needs to be addressed and not so forthcoming about an injury to a key player.
We’ll touch on each subject and what it means going forward for the roster.
Derek Carr May Need Surgery on Right Ring Finger
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According to ESPN Insider Chris Mortensen via Twitter, Derek Carr was a spectator this week likely because of an injury to the ring finger on his throwing hand:
"Raiders QB Derek Carr has right ring finger injury that may require surgery. OTAs in question but optimistic about training camp, per source
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) May 19, 2015"
This isn’t an issue that should cause Raiders fans to hold a collective breath, but Del Rio didn’t elaborate much on Carr’s injury, per CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair:
"Carr was on the practice field, but he did not wear a helmet or cleats for the session. Del Rio wouldn't elaborate on a timetable for Carr's absence, but didn't seem overly concerned by it at this stage.
Time missed in May is better than time missed in September," Del Rio said. "You're often more capable of taking whatever time is necessary to make sure you put things behind you.
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In a worst-case scenario, this prolongs the Carr and Amari Cooper fireworks until training camp.
Del Rio seemed dismissive when comparing downtime in the offseason to missing time during the regular season, but Carr is only entering his second season as pro. As a young QB, it’s important to the offense that he returns to the practice field as a soon as possible.
Cooper “Shining” at Minicamp
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The Raiders first-round pick who’s slated to be Carr’s main target has hit the ground running in minicamp.
According to the Associated Press (via USA Today), Cooper didn’t disappoint once he hit the practice field:
"Cooper flashed some of the skills that made him so successful in college, bursting past seventh-round pick Dexter McDonald at one point to catch a deep touchdown pass from Fajardo.
"It went exactly how I thought it would go," Cooper said. "It went pretty good. I made a couple of plays. We looked good out there as a team."
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Sure, it’s only OTAs, but Cooper is setting the tone early. He’s ready to work and push his teammates to keep up with his pace. The young cornerbacks will benefit from competing against Cooper during the summer as they prepare for a season with high expectations.
Cooper caught passes from undrafted rookie free agent Cody Fajardo out of Nevada, while Carr was a spectator probably grinning from ear to ear watching his new wide receiver put on a display.
Anthony Morris’ Strength Is Run Blocking
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Tennessee State’s Anthony Morris introduced himself as a Raider in a brief profile (via the team's official website), and he mentioned something worth highlighting.
The 6’7”, 303-pound tackle proclaims his strength as a run blocker. The Raiders could literally build a fortress for the rushing attack with Morris at 6’7”, 303 pounds and Austin Howard 6’7”, 333 pounds playing on the right side of the offensive line.
Morris was drafted in the seventh round as a tackle, but his run-blocking ability could make him an attractive move inside if Jon Feliciano isn’t ready to take the position over Khalif Barnes.
It would be tough to see Barnes at 33, struggling at guard outside of his natural position as he did last season, as outlined by Pro Football Focus. Offensive line coach Mike Tice should push the younger talent with more upside on the roster.
Morris admits that he needs some refinement in pass protection, but in the meantime, Tice could make use of his strength. Latavius Murray and Trent Richardson would have one of the largest offensive lines to run behind, potentially benefiting their production and balancing the offensive attack.
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Where Will Mario Edwards Jr. Line Up on Defense?
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Bleacher Report’s Chris Simms highlights Mario Edwards Jr.’s versatility, which is great. Though, his versatility was never in question. The scrutiny behind the second-round pick was his inability to provide what the Raiders needed, a pass-rusher.
One would assume pass rushing was 1A as a priority next to wide receiver. So why select Edwards second when he doesn’t fulfill that need?
Simms points out the Florida State defensive lineman could play effectively inside as a 4-3 defensive tackle if he blows up to 300 pounds.
Yes, that’s versatility, but Edwards playing inside at 300 pounds doesn't make sense when the Raiders signed Dan Williams at 330 pounds to do the same job. Why push Justin Ellis out of his starting spot at DT as a developing talent because the front office and coaching staff decided to draft a DE without much of a pass-rushing skill set?
Flexibility is great, but it becomes useless as a duplicate skill set unless injury strikes. The Raiders would get the most out of the Edwards if he’s able to keep his weight at around 270 pounds, sealing the edge. At 300 pounds in a 4-3 alignment, he’s a duplicate of Williams and Ellis as a two-gap defender and run-stopper.
Who’s Providing the Pass Rush?
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In a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview, Del Rio wasn’t so terse about his quest to figure out who’s going to provide the pass rush in 2015 (via the team’s official website):
"We have Khalil Mack. We know he’s an impactful guy, and then we have to develop the other guys. We have Benson [Mayowa] on one side. We have some opportunities. We took a guy late, Max Valles, that had nine sacks last year in college. We’ll give these guys an opportunity to compete and to give us that element coming off the other edge.
I know having two guys really makes it good, and ideally you’d like to have two guys that are premium guys rushing the quarterback, and we feel like we have one in Khalil Mack and we’re going to have to develop that second guy.”
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Interestingly, Edwards wasn’t one of the first names to come out of Del Rio’s mouth, and there was no mention of Justin Tuck. He clearly views Khalil Mack as his best edge-rusher on the roster, and that second component on the other side is an open competition.
This goes back to my previous point. If pass-rusher was such a need going into the draft, so much that you’re going to pull the best outside linebacker in league (Mack), per Pro Football Focus, away from his position, why not address it with the second-round pick?
Again, this isn’t a knock on Edwards. He didn’t ask to go to Oakland; the Raiders drafted him. But if Edwards isn’t your No. 1 priority to develop into at least a decent pass-rusher, why draft him?
Mack will be moved across the defensive front and asked to take on multiple responsibilities—his effect on the pass rush has a ceiling. The Raiders need a full-time edge-rusher to step up and move the pocket in a division with stationary QBs Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers who rely heavily on timing and accuracy.
Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. should spend ample time with Max Valles, developing him into the missing cog the Raiders need on the defensive line.
Players' measurements are courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com, unless noted otherwise.
You can follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for the latest Raiders' and NFL chatter.
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