Offseason Outlook 2015: Oakland Raiders

Offense

After the 2013 NFL season, there was very little that someone could say about the Oakland Raiders offense that was positive. They were in a tough situation, so they drafted Derek Carr in the second round. I'm not going to just preach about how Derek Carr is a saviour at QB and he is perfect, because he isn't. In fact, he struggled quite a bit in his rookie year. Even still, he passed the eye test, and a lot of people believe he can be a franchise quarterback, including the Oakland Raiders front office. In today's NFL, finding a franchise QB is one of the hardest things to do, so if in fact Carr is one, then the Raiders can feel good about their future. Speaking of future, the Raiders may have the best QB-WR combo over the next decade. Drafting Amari Cooper was a great pick, and it gives Derek Carr a go-to-guy, something he desperately needed last year. They also signed Michael Crabtree, and he can be a solid second option for Carr. Their other weapons consist of Kenbrell Thompkins, Rod Streater, and a few young UDFA WR's. At tight end, the Raiders have Mychal Rivera and the recently drafted Clive Walford. Walford may take over as the number one TE quickly because he is a very reliable blocker and that can be a big help to Derek Carr as there are some questions on the O-line. Speaking of the O-line, the left side was surprisingly productive last year. Donald Penn had a nice bounce back season at left tackle, and Gabe Jackson is a good, young left guard. At center the Raiders struggled last year, so they went out at signed Rodney Hudson who was one of the leagues best centers for Kansas City last year. On the right side the Raiders have some question marks. Austin Howard was okay at right tackle last year, but he didn't live up to his 5/$30 million contract he signed last offseason. Khalif Barnes struggled at right guard last year and he looks to be slotted in there again this year. So while the left side looks solid, Oakland will need some better play out of Howard and Barnes to really help give Carr some time in the pocket. In the backfield, the Raiders believe they have a blossoming star in Latavius Murray. In watching his limited snaps last season, I would have to agree with them. This guy looks so smooth, and if you have time, watch his 90 yard TD run against Kansas City last year. The run was a misdirection and all he did was cut once inside and then he blew by the rest of the defense. I'm not saying he's going to be a star because of that one run, but he has the overall talent to be a very good running back next year if he stays healthy. They also have Trent Richardson... So take that how you will... No matter what production he gives them if any, they signed another good running back in Roy Helu, who in limited snaps last year was very productive with Washington. This offense should be expected to improve drastically solely based on the addition of Amari Cooper, but there is quite a bit to like outside of him and Carr. Even though they lack any sort of star power on offense, they have a lot of quality players and very few, if any, glaring weaknesses. This offense won't blow anybody away this year, but expect them to be significantly better than second last in points scored per game in the NFL, which they were last year.

Defense

The Raiders had the worst defense in the NFL last year, allowing 28.2 points per game. So at least there is nowhere to go but up! On the D-line, they drafted Mario Edwards in the second round. If he plays like he did in 2013, the Raiders have a star player on there hands. They also signed Dan Williams who was a very good nose tackle with Arizona last year, and should play a big role in stopping the run for them. Justin Ellis will most likely play inside next to Williams, and he had a solid year last year too. Justin Tuck rounds out the defensive line, and he was another pleasant surprise for them last year, so hopefully he can repeat his production in a contract year with the Raiders. A solid defensive line is followed by a young, yet very talented group of linebackers. It is led by Khalil Mack, who right out of the gate was a superstar for Oakland last year. They also have Sio Moore playing weak side linebacker, and I might be a lot higher on him then most, but I think he is primed for a huge year opposite Mack. The Raiders also signed Curtis Lofton, and he should be a big upgrade over Dannell Ellerbe between the two young linebackers. The real issues that this defense will have are in the secondary. Charles Woodson continues to defy Father Time at free safety, so I'm in no way going to bet against him, but the Raiders did overpay for Nate Allen to pair with Woodson. Allen at best can be an average safety, but he gets burned quite a bit and can be very inconsistent. At cornerback, D.J. Hayden and Keith McGill will be starting at left and right cornerback respectively, with T.J. Carrie in the slot. This is a very young group of corners, and they are all fairly unreliable too. D.J. Hayden has a high ceiling at cornerback, but unfortunately he has struggled to stay healthy. It's true that overall this defense does look better, and they have a few young players who could develop into very good NFL players, but the lack of depth and current stars on defense draws enough concern that I doubt they will be overly competitive with good offenses.

I might be lower on the Raiders than most, but I can't deny that the future is bright. The new coaching staff should bring some life to the roster too, and even though I don't love Jack Del Rio as the head coach, I don't think it was an awful get, and I think he's a better fit than Dennis Allen. Immediately next year, not much should be expected. An improvement to 5 wins for next year seems like what to expect, but if the coaching staff has these players playing hard, then they will be a tough opponent week after week.Also, Derek Carr, Amari Cooper (even though he hasn't played a snap yet), and Khalil Mack are all stars in the making, and if the Raiders continue to build around that core then they will be the premier Bay Area team in no time.