The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 7. Today, the Oakland Raiders.
Head coach: Jack Del Rio
Last season’s record: 12-4
Playoff result: Lost AFC wild-card game to Texans
Key free agent gains: The Raiders haven’t gotten much production from the tight end position since Brandon Myers led the team with 806 receiving yards back in 2012 when the Raiders were a meandering 4-12 team. Looking to improve in that area, they signed Jared Cook to a two-year $10.6-million contract. Cook failed to live up to expectations with the Packers in the regular season, only starting five games and missing six due to injury, but he caught 18 of 32 targets and had 229 yards and two TDs in three playoff games.
Derek Carr already has a pair of top-tier receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree but Cook is a solid third or fourth option in the passing game.
“When you add a guy like Jared Cook that runs a 4.3 or a 4.4 and he can outrun DBs on go-routes, [you] can throw him out wide and run different kinds of routes with him,” Carr said during training camp. “We can do that kind of stuff because he is that talented.”
Cordarrelle Patterson is another potential weapon Carr can utilize on offence, although the 2013 first-round pick of the Vikings will likely be used primarily on special teams.
They brought in Jelani Jenkins, formerly of the Dolphins, to help a weak linebacking corps that got even weaker this off-season as you’ll see below. Jenkins could end up a starter and that speaks to the dearth of talent at the position considering his less-than-stellar 2016 campaign in Miami.
Key free agent losses: Malcolm Smith signed a five-year contract with the 49ers after two seasons with the Raiders in which he led the team in tackles both years, registering 225 total combined tackles during his time with Oakland. Unfortunately for Smith, he will miss the entire 2017 campaign with a torn pectoral. Linebacker Perry Riley Jr. started 11 games for the Raiders in 2016 but he’s gone too.
In addition to losing their leading tackler, Latavius Murray also bolted to the NFC. Murray had led the Raiders in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns the past two seasons. He’s now in Minnesota, while the Raiders will rely on veteran Marshawn Lynch plus the versatile youthful duo of DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.
Cornerback D.J. Hayden signed with the Lions. The 12th-overall pick from 2013 was more or less a bust with the Raiders, but considering that Sean Smith is facing felony assault charges and 2017 first-rounder Gareon Conley is dealing with an injury, Hayden’s absence might be more noticeable since this team needs all the help they can get at corner.
Key draft picks: Conley is a highly touted prospect out of Ohio State but fell to the Raiders at pick No. 24 in the spring. He faced allegations of sexual assault mere days prior to the draft, which some believe resulted in him slipping several spots. Conley vehemently denied the allegations and on July 31 a grand jury declined to press charges following a thorough investigation by the Cleveland Police Department. Oakland also bolstered its secondary by selecting safety Obi Melifonwu in the second round.
X-factor: Lynch was the biggest addition the team made this off-season. Lynch was acquired for a 2018 sixth-round draft pick after “Beast Mode” ended his retirement, which lasted one year. Murray was a decent threat near the goal line in 2016, scoring 12 touchdowns, but Lynch is a proven back and notoriously difficult to bring down in short-yardage and one-on-one situations.
The real question with Lynch is whether or not he will resemble the player he was in Seattle. Prior to an injury-plagued 2015 campaign, Lynch averaged 1,612 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns per full season with the Seahawks. If he can put up even half of that average this year the Raiders won’t have anything to worry about in the backfield.
2017 will be a success if: Derek Carr stays healthy and the defence can stay off the field as much as possible. Like so many teams, the Raiders’ success hinges on their quarterback. Carr, a potential MVP candidate, broke his leg on Christmas Eve in a game against the Colts. With backup Connor Cook at the helm they lost the regular-season finale to the Broncos, which cost them a division title. The offence couldn’t get anything going against the Texans in the wild-card round, Cook was outplayed by Brock Osweiler, and the Raiders season came to a disappointing end. It would’ve been a completely different situation had Carr been healthy.
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