The Oakland Raiders sit at 7-2 tied for first place in the AFC West heading into week 11. Fresh off the bye week this team is gearing towards a postseason run in the very talented AFC West. In what should be a very tight race the Raiders have very little margin for error, and while this is their most talented team in years there’s still areas of concern. Inside Linebacker, safety and tight end are the three biggest of the Oakland Raiders off-season needs.
Oakland Raiders Off-Season Needs
Inside Linebacker
Current inside linebackers Malcolm Smith and Perry Riley Jr. have thus far not been adequate defenders at the intermediate level. Second year player Ben Heeney had won the starting job out of training camp but was benched in week three by rookie inside linebacker Corey James. Heeney has since been placed on injured reserve and Corey James finds himself playing special teams after the midseason signing of Riley Jr. to help shore up unit. Despite the different line ups and midseason signings the Raiders still finds themselves ranked 21st in the NFL, giving up yards on the ground to a tune of 114.8 yards per game and 8 rushing touchdowns allowed.
The Raiders have gotten better recently, but have allowed over 100+yards in six games, 150+ yards in three contests and, 180+ yards in two of those games. This cannot happen if the Raiders want to continue to improve on defense and turn the corner from being a good team to a great team. The Raiders have also struggled mightily against opposing tight ends and running backs in the passing game, so the infusion of some talented, powerful, athletic inside backers would go alone way into shoring up this defense and should be a day one or two priority come the NFL Draft and free agency.
Safety
Rookie free safety Karl Joseph has been a revelation for the Raiders secondary. While he is a mismatch due to his smaller size when matching up against bigger tight ends, he more often finds himself around the ball whether its tackling the ball carrier near the line of scrimmage, playing centerfield and intercepting an errant pass, or scooping up a loose fumble, Joseph is there. While growing pains are to be expected with a rookie safety, Joseph has largely mitigated those worries. His fellow safety Reggie Nelson, not so much. Nelson has found the ball a few times taking advantage of turnover opportunities, but far too often finds himself behind a receiver or simply out of place. When Raiders corners are supposed to have safety help over the top, Nelson is in the wrong place or has his hips turned the wrong way, which allows for a big yardage completion or touchdown. In the running game he usually find himself missing his assignment or when he does make the correct read he is not a sure tackler.
The Raider defense has been subpar to say the least this season. Having good safety play is essential to creating a formidable defense that can win a team games when the offense isn’t clicking. While creating turnovers is important, its more important to have reliable consistently good safety play that doesn’t allow for big yardage pass plays and can hold their own against the run. It would also be beneficial for the Raiders to find a bigger safety that can match-up with tight ends and use more effective size to bring down larger ball carriers.
Tight End
So far into the 2016 season the Raiders tight ends have been largely underwhelming. Blocking tight end Lee Smith has found himself on injured reserve and Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera have been disappointing this year as receiving options. Too often Walford finds passing bouncing off his hands and Rivera has gotten more playing in the past few weeks but was a healthy scratch most of the season. Neither has proven to be a reliable target or a complete tight end so it could be time to start finding a replacement for one or both players. Walford gets the benefit of the doubt as he is just a second year player and could possibly develop into an above average tight end, but lacks the natural athleticism to really become anything more than a solid place holder while the Raiders look to find the next big thing at the position. After spending so many games as an inactive and inly finding playing time after Smith went down its very possible that this is Rivera’s last season as an Oakland Raider.
The Raiders offense has been operating just fine without a solid middle of the filed target but the injection of a big time player could make the Raiders all the more dangerous in the precious red zone. Besides Michael Crabtree, Derek Carr does not have a go to target inside the twenty that can win with size and muscle. Having a tight tend that can bully safeties is a huge difference between turning third and goal into a touchdown or kicking a field goal on an incomplete pass on third down.
Other Areas of Concern
With Mario Edwards having missed every game of the season so far, defensive line depth and talent is an issue. Having inside pressure makes life for edge rushers so much easier. If the Raiders cannot trust Edwards to stay on the field, they will have to find another player to alleviate some attention off of Khalil Mack. The Raiders should also be open to finding an upgrade at the slot position. Sticking with the trenches, offensive line depth is always at a premium in the NFL. Right tackle Austin Howard does not have the talent to be relied on as a reliable starter and Menelik Watson has missed time in every single season and finding his replacement should begin as soon as the season is over. Seth Roberts has provided some memorable plays and a few clutch touchdowns but does not have ideal size or speed to consistently win matchups and will drop critical third down targets more often than not. Latavius Murray has been a solid running back but is not a game changer, should he request big money from the Raiders, they would be wise to let him walk and find his replacement in a running back heavy draft class.
