The Oakland Raiders undoubtedly improved the talent of the roster this offseason, but they didn’t address the cornerback position or bring in a top pass-rusher. After finishing last in the NFL in points allowed last season, the Raiders focused on rebuilding the front seven.
That means the No. 1 cornerback on the roster is 2013 first-round draft pick D.J. Hayden and the top pass-rusher is 2014 first-round pick Khalil Mack. That should be a good thing, but Hayden has yet to develop into a shutdown cornerback.
Hayden enters a make-or-break year as a key player on a defense hoping to improve ...
How much better are the Oakland Raiders at wide receiver this year?
We won't know until the season begins, but on paper, the wide receiving corps is vastly improved from last season, when Andre Holmes led the team with 693 receiving yards.
The Raiders added major reinforcements through free agency and the draft. Those additions, combined with the continued development of last year's returning wide receivers, have this unit suddenly looking like it might be dangerous.
A lot can happen between now and the start of the season, and battles for positioning on the depth chart are going to continue through training camp. ...
There is a lot of excitement building this offseason for the Oakland Raiders.
What has new head coach Jack Del Rio brought to the team? What is the latest on quarterback Derek Carr's finger injury?
Watch as Adam Lefkoe and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle discuss the Raiders in the video above.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
The Oakland Raiders' new regime has created an air of optimism after addressing the weaknesses of a roster that turned in a third consecutive sub-.500 record in 2014.
There are conflicting opinions on whether the Raiders are ready to turn the corner in the upcoming season.
Peter King of MMQB released his early power rankings. He slotted Oakland in the 31st spot with a disturbing suspicion about quarterback Derek Carr:
"It’s not that I don’t trust Derek Carr. It’s that I don’t trust Derek Carr’s health after what I’ve read about the problems with a finger on his throwing hand. That plus the fact ...
Why isn't Marcel Reece getting more carries? It’s the most frequently asked question when surveying the comment section of any Oakland Raiders article pertaining to optimizing the offense.
It’s a good question without a good answer.
Logically thinking, last season would have been the most appropriate time to tinker with the offense a bit. Running back Darren McFadden was Oakland’s lead back with 534 rushing yards, averaging 3.4 yards per carry on 155 attempts. As a team, the Raiders ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing yards (1,280).
Former offensive coordinator Greg Olson’s play-calling was part of the problem. Oakland also ranked ...
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been purposely tight-lipped about disclosing his standouts during OTAs, but there are some insightful tidbits about developing project players in Alameda.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end Clive Walford have defined roles and early expectations at their prospective positions. What about draftees and fringe players who are transitioning or considered low-risk, high-reward pickups? Have their roles been defined? Do they have a legitimate shot to make the final 53-man roster?
We’ll answer some of those poignant questions about five players who are in undefined roles or seeking to solidify a roster spot as developmental ...
The Oakland Raiders selected Amari Cooper with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
How will Cooper perform in his rookie year? What kind of numbers will he put up?
Watch as Adam Lefkoe and Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms discuss expectations for Cooper in the video above.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
How good can this new Oakland Raiders offense really be in 2015?
Despite what last season's 3-13 record might indicate, Oakland's defense actually showed a lot of potential. Now, with another offseason's worth of reinforcements, the defense looks capable of being able to keep up with any NFL offense on a weekly basis.
The success of the defense as a whole depends largely on the big names like Khalil Mack, Justin Tuck and Charles Woodson. But it's just as dependent on X-factors at each position group.
How these other players perform will be the difference between the defense being a direct factor in more ...
The Oakland Raiders' history has branded the franchise as a rebellious, mercurial bunch standing out as an outcast from the rest of the NFL.
That trend continued when the Raiders were one of two teams that voted against the point-after-attempt proposal in the offseason per USA Today's Lindsay Jones:
Rule Changes
What exactly did Oakland vote against and why?
NFL.com writer Kevin Patra sums up the crux of the new changes:
The NFL announced the extra point will now be kicked from the 15-yard line with two-point conversions remaining at the 2-yard line. The new rule also gives the defense the ability to score two ...
It's been an annual conversation for years. But this time, there's some real substance to the notion that the Oakland Raiders might have finally turned the corner back to success.
Each position group on the roster is improved. But each position group also has a question mark, a key role that needs to be filled.
While they might not be the biggest names, each of these players will have an important job to do this upcoming season. And how well they perform will have a major impact not only on that position group, but on the team as a whole.
The Raiders will ...