There’s too much talent on this side of the ball and coach Jon Gruden is too good of a play caller for the offense to be bad, but it’ll almost certainly take a step back if the O-line changes don’t work out. Now, whether James lives up to the standard set by Rodney Hudson and whether Leatherwood can be a positive player as a rookie remains to be seen. Other: Jimmy Morrissey, Lester Cotton Sr., Erik Magnuson, Kamaal SeymourĪnalysis: The revamped offensive line actually won’t look all that different as James and Leatherwood are the only two projected starters who didn’t start games for the team in 2020 - though the Raiders really want Simpson to win one of the guard jobs. Starters: Kolton Miller, Richie Incognito, Andre James, Denzelle Good, Alex Leatherwoodīackups: Brandon Parker, John Simpson, Nick Martin, Jaryd Jones-Smith The big change this year will be Moreau getting his snaps back from Jason Witten, who retired for the second time this offseason. All jokes aside, Williams is just going to be competing with Bowers for a spot on the practice squad. 4 draft pick Kyle Pitts, and Moreau and Carrier have both proved to be useful players, so of course the Raiders signed Williams, a former college basketball player who hasn’t played football since eighth grade. Snead was an interesting signing given that the Raiders appear set in the slot with Renfrow.Īnalysis: Waller is so good now that he is a comp for No. In many ways, Ruggs and Edwards have the most pressure here. Brown may be able to replace what Agholor brought to the table, but Ruggs will need to have a far more consistent season than he did in 2020 for the group to really have a good year. Edwards was a training camp star last season but struggled with injuries and was ultimately replaced in the lineup by Nelson Agholor, who’s now with the Patriots. Other: Keelan Doss, Marcell Ateman, Trey QuinnĪnalysis: Four of the Raiders’ top six receivers are 6-foot or shorter, so they really need Edwards to develop into a reliable option as a big-bodied, physical outside wideout. Starters: Henry Ruggs III, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrowīackups: John Brown, Zay Jones, Willie Snead IV Ingold, who returns as one of the few fullbacks left in the league, made strides as a receiver last season and helps fill out the backfield nicely. Richard and Riddick have non-guaranteed contracts but, while the Raiders really don’t need four running backs, both might make the 53-man roster. While that’s up in the air, Carr’s position as the lead man for 2021 isn’t.īackups: Kenyan Drake, Jalen Richard, Theo RiddickĪnalysis: Jacobs and Drake should combine to create a dynamic duo for about $6.2 million this season, which is pretty good value, but the cost will leap to around $11.7 million in 2022. If not, it’s just as easy to see a trade being explored. If he maintains or improves upon his play from 2020 and the Raiders make the playoffs, then it’s easy to see a new deal getting done next offseason. The final year of his contract is in 2022, and starting-caliber quarterbacks don’t typically play into the last season of their deals without an extension. Here’s an early look at where the Raiders’ depth chart stands today ( draft picks in italics): OffenseĪnalysis: Aaron Rodgers trade rumors aside, this season could decide Carr’s future with the franchise. … He knew, just like I knew, we got a long way to go on defense.” … Jon Gruden is an offensive guy, but what did we do all weekend? We tried to help our defense. “I mean we went into Day 2 and we attacked the defensive side of the ball and he was more excited than I was. You might think that would drive Jon Gruden crazier than normal, but Mayock said that was not the case. The Raiders wound up going an entire draft without picking an offensive skill player (quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end) for the first time in franchise history. And I like the fact that when the ball is in the air, he thinks it’s his.” We think he’s going to bring a level of professionalism, toughness, competition. “His ball skills were outstanding at West Virginia. “When I was doing preseason games in Philadelphia, he played for the Eagles,” Mayock said. It does seem like Douglas will be a factor. Free agent Richard Sherman said the Raiders were one of four teams he has talked to, but Mayock had no comment when asked the level of interest in the cornerback. The Raiders signed 27 defensive tackles (approximately), former Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas and former first-round pick Karl Joseph, then drafted four defensive players in Rounds 3-5. It’s also pretty clear that Bradley hated the Raiders’ depth on defense last year.
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