Winners and Losers of Oakland Raiders' Offseason so Far
The first half of the Oakland Raiders offseason program concludes with interesting player storylines—some winners and some losers.
The good news is that the team has managed to wrap up organized team activities and minicamp without any major injuries suffered during these practices. It's also clear that fierce competition will continue throughout training camp under new head coach Jack Del Rio.
On the other hand, Oakland came into the offseason with three glaring needs: wide receiver talent, pass-rushers and a solid offensive right guard. Thus far, upgrading the WR talent was the only need addressed adequately. There’s still plenty of time to sort out the other deficiencies, but no clear favorites have emerged.
Let’s dig a little deeper. Which players should be feeling good after these practices? Which players were left behind in the early progress of this new Raiders team? Here are four pairs of winners and losers before the layoff into training camp.
Winner: Raiders Defense
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Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s fiery approach to the game could potentially mask some of the weaknesses of the defense. He brings an infectious relentless energy to the sidelines, which permeated the attitudes of the defensive unit.
Here’s a sneak peek into a typical day of practice for the defense, per SilverandBlackPride.com writer Levi Damien:
"Keith McGill did a nice bit of covering on a pass from Ponder to Michael Crabtree. He shadowed Crabtree and turned just in time to knock the ball down. Ken Norton Jr. was not pleased with it, though. He thought McGill should have picked it off and gave him an earful for it.
The defense, and the linebackers in particular were quite firey, with a couple of incidents of jawing and some pushing. First it was Ray Ray Armstrong who got in a bit of a scuffle, though it was hard to tell who with. Later Armstrong was getting in the face of Marcel Reece on the sideline, and Reece gave him the one-arm ‘back up off me' as he walked past him.
Shortly after, Neiron Ball and Khalif Barnes got into it with it ending with the veteran Barnes staring Ball down with a ‘watch it' finger point.
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Take a minute to break down these minor scuffles. Outside linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong has been with the team for less than a year, and he’s mixing it up with one of the toughest Raiders on the roster in fullback, now H-back Marcel Reece. Rookie linebacker Neiron Ball challenging 10-year veteran Khalif Barnes shows he’s not going to back down in the face of the most experienced players on the gridiron.
These types of scuffles happen all across the league during practices. However, Norton’s passion and quick strike to hold players fully accountable keeps members of this defensive unit on their toes. He’s exactly what the Raiders need on the defensive side of the ball.
Loser: Sio Moore
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Outside linebacker Sio Moore is the only starter who hasn’t been able to soak in all of Norton’s energy due to his slow but steady recovery from hip surgery.
In addition to Moore’s absence and Armstrong’s emergence, San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur shares a competitive outlook between the two linebackers going forward via Twitter:
"There are some observers who think Ray-Ray Armstrong is playing Miles Burris role and being used to push Sio Moore. We’ll see. #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) June 2, 2015"
Moore’s leash was shortened during the offseason with an influx of talent at the position. Oakland’s linebacking corps has depth. The team signed free-agent linebacker Malcolm Smith and drafted Ball in the fifth-round. Armstrong has impressed during OTAs, per Raiders.com writer Eddie Paskal, and made his case for a spot in the LB rotation.
The Raiders aren’t rushing Moore back to action, and I’m sure Norton won’t be shy about pulling him out of the lineup if he shows ill effects from surgery.
Winner: J'Marcus Webb
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Ever been in a situation where that new job opening went to a candidate who was more familiar with management personnel rather than the most qualified applicant? That scenario could play out with Oakland’s right guard position.
Offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb could emerge as the starting right guard for offensive line coordinator Mike Tice. Tice and Webb worked together from 2010-12 with the Chicago Bears. Webb started 44 out of a possible 48 games in his first three seasons out of West Texas A&M as a seventh-round pick.
Nearly two months after signing with the Raiders, he’s taking first-team snaps over Barnes and rookie Jon Feliciano. It seems to be an offensive lineman shuffle to get the best man on the field, but Webb has already leapfrogged Feliciano in reps taken with the first-team.
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Loser: Jon Feliciano
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Feliciano has yet to impress the coaching staff or take significant first-team reps at guard. That’s not a solid opening for a prospect expected to start Week 1, per Del Rio via hngn.com writer Cal Setar.
It doesn’t mean he cannot overtake Barnes and Webb, but he’s not projecting as well as wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. or tight end Clive Walford in fulfillment of Del Rio’s wishes to turn all four rookies into starters.
Tice may seek comfort in starting a familiar face over an unproven rookie if both Webb and Feliciano are on equal ground throughout the offseason.
In addition to Feliciano’s in-camp competition, a two-time Pro Bowler who’s looking to get paid enters the market, and the Raiders still have deep pockets, per NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal:
"Evan Mathis wanted this outcome. He wanted a raise from the Eagles more, but learned quickly that Chip Kelly wasn't going to give him that. So he wanted out of Philadelphia so that he could get his fair value elsewhere. It's a risky proposition.
Mathis was due $5.5 million in 2014 and that will be a difficult salary to find at this stage of the offseason. So what team has enough cap space and desperation to pay the oldest projected starting guard in the league that kind of money? Look to Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie! Mathis will be driven to get top dollar, and the Raiders are a logical team to pay it. I look at this Mathis contract as an experiment to see how much a ProFootball Focus ranking is worth. The analytics website has essentially put Mathis' play at a Hall of Fame level since 2011. We'll see if McKenzie agrees.
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Signing Mathis would, in theory, glue Feliciano to a backup position for at least the next two years.
Winner: Clive Walford
5 of 8According to CSNBayArea reporter Scott Bair’s short interview with Bleacher Report’s Stephen Nelson, the top-tier tight end position belongs to Walford.
He has garnered much rave out of OTAs and minicamp. Walford's versatility is a distinct advantage over Mychal Rivera in a positional competition. The third-round pick had a lot of early offseason success, and his impressive play continued throughout, per Silver and Black Report lead writer Chris McClain via Twitter:
"#Raiders TE Clive Walford continues to be impressive. Once again made some nice plays today.
— Chris McClain (@ChrisMcClain) June 9, 2015"
Aside from Cooper, Walford has made the strongest case to start as a rookie in Oakland. The Raiders TE depth is full of either blocking or receiving TEs. Walford is a dual threat as a complete player at the position.
Loser: Mychal Rivera
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In correspondence to Walford’s remarkable offseason, Rivera’s potential impact on the 2015 season drops significantly. Reece may also steal a good portion of snaps from the two-year tight end.
According to ESPN’s Bill Williamson, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave plans on utilizing Reece as an H-back. In layman’s terms, it’s a tight end positioned a few steps behind the line of scrimmage capable of catching short to intermediate passes.
Reece’s increased involvement as a playmaker and Walford’s presence caps Rivera’s snaps and, as a result, his receiving-yards total for the upcoming season.
Winner: Josh Harper
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Undrafted free-agent wide receiver Josh Harper increased his chances of making the final 53-man roster with his return ability. The team waived seventh-round pick Andre Debose after he suffered an Achilles injury and signed kick return specialist Trindon Holliday, per Williamson.
Harper was praised as a WR and kick returner by Del Rio, per Damien:
"I believe he’s a local guy, right? One of Derek’s buddies. Derek was happy about that. We did not discuss that with Carr prior to getting him here, but I know he was happy to have him join us. But no, he’s a guy that has some return ability, that understands a little bit how to create separation and get open – good hands. We’re glad to have him in the camp and get started with him.
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Quarterback Derek Carr’s former Fresno State running mate has all the cards in his favor at this point. He should focus on improving his return ability to solidify his roster spot.
It’s plausible Harper will get a few passes thrown his way as a WR with Carr under center. The former teammates continue to go over the playbook extensively before and after practices to reignite their college chemistry. So far, the Carr-Harper connection is in good shape in Oakland.
Loser: Andre Holmes
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Wide receiver Andre Holmes has steadily improved over the span of four seasons. He didn’t play a single game in his rookie year with the Dallas Cowboys. In his second year, he appeared in seven games, then went west to Oakland. In 2013, he started in four games, recording 431 yards and a touchdown.
Last season, he led the Raiders WR corps in receiving yards (693) and yards per reception (14.7). He wasn’t spectacular, but he produced within an offense without much of a rushing attack and marginal talent on the perimeter to ease the coverage.
In 2015, Holmes will fail to catch 25 passes.
The overhaul of playmakers at the position drops Holmes from leading receiver in yards to possibly the No. 5 option at WR behind Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Rod Streater and Harper if he makes the roster.
A disappointing season is on the horizon for Holmes in a contract year, which means he’ll sign with another team in 2016.
You can follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for the latest on the Raiders and NFL chatter.
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