![]() He will be expected to be made active once the suspension is done at which point the team will have to make a decision on who gets cut. Reece will not count against the initial regular season roster for the Raiders as he will be spending the first three games serving the rest of a four-game suspension that began last season. This battle could get interesting right away. The compact scat back has been compared to Maurice Jones-Drew who was drafted by the Jaguars under Del Rio and played most of his career for him, making three Pro Bowls and being named All Pro once. Murray was inherited by Jack Del Rio while Washington perfectly fits the mold of the type of back Del Rio loves. Washington will take some of the load off of him, but due to Washington's abilities as a receiver, it's possible it ends up being Murray who is the relief instead. Murray established himself last season as a workhorse back, but faded down the stretch. There will be plenty of carries to go around for these two, but make no mistake, this will also be a competition for who sees the field the most. ![]() ![]() Murray may be penciled in as the starter, but Washington is nearly 1a. His value is mostly on special teams as a kick returner and gunner. Jones won't see a lot of carries he's more of a gimmick/spread runner. Washington was the team's 5 th round pick in a draft we knew the Raiders would add a complementary running back. He is considered the heir apparent to Marcel Reece who is entering the final year on his contract with the Raiders and will be 32 by this time next year. Olawale signed an extension last season which will keep him a Raider for a long time. 8.Returning as the feature back in this offense will be Latavius Murray following his first season as the full time starter in which he amassed 1070 yards rushing and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Plus, within the Raiders’ own division, the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs are also in the top 10, at No. 1 in the NFL in talent, with the Pittsburgh Steelers a close second. According to him, the defending Super Bowl-champion Patriots still rank No. However, Brandt’s top-10 teams assessment points out a problem for the Raiders if they hope to get to the Super Bowl this season. ![]() “Oakland really helped itself with the draft, selecting top-10 talent Gareon Conley at cornerback, while last year’s first-round pick, safety Karl Joseph, should take another step forward in his first full, healthy season.” Brandt believes McKenzie’s top draft picks from 20 should help change that. 6 in the NFL in 2016, but the defense underperformed. “The biggest hole is at middle linebacker, where fifth-round pick Marquel Lee has as good a chance as anyone to start.” ![]() “Veteran free agents Marshawn Lynch and Jared Cook will add even more punch to an offense that already boasted top-flight receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree,” Brandt noted. 4 in his evaluation of the NFL’s 10 most talented teams.īrandt cited that 2014 draft and the fact Oakland had seven Pro Bowlers in 2016, the most of any team. Kapler defends Sabol for ‘over-aggressive' baserunning blunderīrandt recently ranked the Raiders No. Through the draft and free agency, the Raiders have numerous impact players and solid depth. Today, many are predicting another trip to the playoffs and a possible Super Bowl for the Raiders in 2017.Īnd, the Raiders could be stocked for a long run of success, says former longtime Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt, a senior analyst for NFL.com. Now, after going 7-9 in 2015 and 12-4 in 2016, the Raiders roster looks nothing like it did in 2012, when it was one of the thinnest and least talented in pro football. Yet all that began to change with McKenzie’s draft class of 2014, which produced franchise cornerstones in Khalil Mack (defense) and Derek Carr (offense), as well as one of the league’s top young offensive linemen in Gabe Jackson. Wrote Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com midway through the 2012 season: “There just aren’t enough impact players on either side of the ball.” The quarterback position was a revolving door, high-priced veteran players were ejected in a salary-cap purge and early Reggie McKenzie drafts didn’t yield the prime prospects needed to spark a franchise turnaround. Over that three-season span, the Raiders were 11-37 and ranked among the league’s least-effective teams on offense and defense. From 2012 through 2014, the Oakland Raiders were among the NFL’s worst teams. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |