Oakland Raiders' Most Underappreciated Players This Season
It's difficult to focus on underappreciated assets with a disappointing 3-5 start to the Oakland Raiders' 2017 season. However, several players deserve their due credit for individual performances.
Like any season, regardless of how good or bad the record is, we can see positives and negatives on a micro level. The Raiders came into the year with several question marks on defense.
The unit remains subpar, without an interception and just 12 sacks through eight games. Yet a few players have improved their play from previous seasons or performed well in a vacuum, which is hard to fathom with a bottom-third group in points and yards allowed.
A versatile playmaker has also been overlooked during a season in which the offense is struggling to move the ball.
Overall, the Silver and Black have not measured up to lofty expectations as a team, but think about how much worse it would have been without the following underappreciated players.
LB Cory James
1 of 6
General manager Reggie McKenzie drafted rookie Marquel Lee in the fifth round, but questions about the linebacker corps lingered into the season until NaVorro Bowman arrived before Week 7.
Despite battling minor injuries dating back to the offseason, Cory James has developed into a reliable asset at inside linebacker. Typically, players at this position go unnoticed because they are absent from pass-rushing duties in most cases.
Nonetheless, James adequately filled a void at a thin position. According to Pro Football Focus, he's recorded 15 run stops and hasn't allowed a passing touchdown in coverage.
James' move to starting inside linebacker looks more impressive when you consider his commitment to transition from the outside. He lined up as a pass-rushing linebacker for three seasons at Colorado State.
During his senior collegiate campaign, he went through rough patches, per NFL Media's Lance Zierlein: "Raw with technique in the [middle]. Struggled to understand proper leverage to the sideline. Inconsistent in his play following a splash play with a mental mistake. Will make a wrong read and lose his run fit. James moved to middle linebacker this season, but that isn't where he will be cast by NFL teams."
James has started five games at inside linebacker and clearly spent the offseason preparing for a full transition. He's still developing, but no one would consider him a weak link on the field.
As a 2016 sixth-rounder, whom general manager McKenzie projected to become a core special teams contributor, the Colorado State product has exceeded expectations.
P Marquette King
2 of 6
Many view punter Marquette King as someone who loves the spotlight—so much that he's willing to toe the line and draw flags for attention. It's a valid perspective, but we caught a slight glimpse of how field positioning can affect the defense when he's not sending kicks 50-60 yards downfield.
On Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, King played through a groin injury. This season, he has averaged at least 48 yards per punt in every game except the previous outing, during which he averaged 38 yards per attempt.
For a mediocre defense that doesn't force takeaways, 10 yards could be the difference between an opponent punting the ball away or kicking a field goal.
Buffalo's offense didn't capitalize on the short punts. However, the Bills scored on a nine-play drive that started at their own 36-yard line.
If King pins the ball inside the 20-yard line, the defense has more opportunities to make a stop. It doesn't seem like a major difference, but that touchdown drive plus 13 points off turnovers swing a 34-14 outcome in another direction, despite the offensive struggles.
FB Jamize Olawale
3 of 6
As a fan favorite, many understand the frustration with fullback Jamize Olawale's limited role. He's a versatile offensive asset who could provide so much more when fully utilized in the game plan.
For starters, Olawale could lead block for running back Marshawn Lynch. Oftentimes, Beast Mode takes a handoff and follows his offensive linemen, which isn't a poor design with the maulers up front. Nonetheless, the physical ball-carrier could become more effective with a strong, agile fullback clearing the way.
In Week 8, Lynch served a one-game suspension for initiating contact with an official. In his absence, Olawale scored a touchdown on a goal-line carry to cap the first drive. Unfortunately, he reaggravated a nagging hamstring injury that cost him time on the field dating back to the preseason.
Offensive coordinator Todd Downing has turned a blind eye to Olawale's capability as a receiver in the open field. In 2016, he caught 12 passes for 227 yards and scored on a 75-yard catch-and-run play in Mexico City against the Houston Texans.
The 28-year-old isn't a slow-plodding blocker. Downing could move him around the offense in various spots to elevate other running backs or accumulate yards as a playmaker on the ground and in the short-passing attack.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
CB T.J. Carrie
4 of 6
Injuries and ineffective deep coverage have plagued the Raiders pass defense, but cornerback T.J. Carrie doesn't fit into the unflattering category.
Without him, the front office would have needed to execute a trade for a cornerback before Tuesday's deadline. Carrie isn't a shutdown defender, but he's available and doesn't consistently give up deep completions over the top.
The fourth-year defensive back has surrendered just one touchdown in coverage. For some perspective, note that fellow cornerback David Amerson has allowed four touchdowns playing 89 fewer snaps than Carrie in coverage.
For the most part, the Raiders have featured Carrie in the slot, but he's equipped to play on the perimeter as well. His inability to force turnovers is the only knock against him. Nonetheless, he's a valuable asset when evaluating the secondary.
If or when McKenzie cuts ties with Sean Smith and Amerson, he should re-sign Carrie in a contract year as a long-term solution at the slot cornerback position.
WR Cordarrelle Patterson
5 of 6
Oakland signed Cordarrelle Patterson as a wide receiver, but he's provided a spark as a running back and on special teams.
The former Minnesota Viking has caught 14 passes for 69 yards. Nonetheless, he's been far more explosive as a ball-carrier, racking up 124 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
We all know he's a kick-return specialist. But he's also effective covering kicks, with three tackles as a defender.
Patterson does all the little things necessary to boost his value on the roster. He's not going to finish with big numbers. However, his contributions in multiple areas speak to his work during practices.
In space, the 2013 first-round pick can change the game with the ball in his hands. Furthermore, he's a grinder on special teams.
DT Justin Ellis
6 of 6
At one point, nose tackles Justin Ellis and Dan Williams came together in the middle of the defense as a tandem dubbed Meat and Potatoes.
The fourth-year defensive lineman decided to go with lean meats and dropped nine pounds during the offseason, per Vic Tafur, then with the San Francisco Chronicle: "I am down to 338, about nine pounds off of last season. More lean muscle. I feel like I have been having decent seasons, but I wanted to do better, so I figured I would try this, move around a little better, be more active."
The decision to shed weight has clearly improved his mobility in the middle. It took half the season for him to eclipse his total in tackles from the previous year. Through eight games, Ellis has logged 12 run stops.
Reappearing holes in Oakland's run defense overshadow Ellis' improvements, but his commitment to increasing movement in the trenches paid off through the first half of the season.
Keep in mind he's in a contract year, which may cause the front office to think twice about re-signing him to a new deal without added motivation.
Advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
