2018 Oakland Raiders Season Outlook

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All-Star
"I left my picks in Green Bay"
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And just like that, all things in Oakland went to shambles. Oakland entered the 2017 draft knowing there would be no way they could hold on to all their star players. Negotiations were over the horizon for key players. QB Derek Carr, LB Aldon Smith, LB Bruce Irvin, FS Reggie Nelson RB Latavius Murray and biggest of all DE Khalil Mack among countless other depth players. There simply could not be enough cap space at the season's end.

In a safe move the Raiders traded away their future prospect QB, sophomore Conner Cook in exchange for picks. This should allow the team to look for replacements if they couldn't sign all those veterans. At least half should accept cash and with a bit of satisfaction maybe more would stay. Then the season happened.

  • FS Reggie Nelson chose to leave the team. Negotiations ended early as he had no intention of staying in Oakland.
  • RB Latavius Murray who was franchise tagged was receiving help from the rookie LT Cam Robinson as well as the pro bowl O-line who allowed him to be the 2nd TD rushing leader and atop of the charts overall. The plan to allow him to display his abilities before a long term deal fell apart. By season's end he wanted more and left the team.
  • Prime targets were DE Khalil Mack and QB Derek Carr. With the release of Conner Cook the Raiders were set on Carr. There was no end to him starting in the near future so a deal had to be made. Meanwhile DE Khalil Mack was expecting a huge pay out. He was an unstoppable force. When the season ended the biggest question with no contracts signed the biggest question was "who will be tagged and who will get a large deal?" In the end both rejected lucrative offers. QB Carr was franchised for $22 million (WHOA!) and Mack was let go.
  • The backup plan and better situation was to sign LB Aldon Smith. Smith ended the season with 50 tackles, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions. Countless of those sacks and turnovers were made during key plays. His value was overall a better deal than Mack, contributions considered. Alas with his success came a higher asking price. Aldon Smith also could not reach a deal with Oakland.
The team was no in a bind. Having little money, no running game and a younger inexperienced defensive squad (with some diamonds emerging) they looked to the draft.

Then in happened.
Like the last time it mattered (superbowl 2003) a key player went missing again. Except this time it wasn't in the tequila sunrise of Tijuana, Mexico. It was in the snow filled airport of Green Bay Wisconsin. General Manager Reggie McKinze was in Green Bay for a superbowl team reunion with his former Packers. He was stuck at the airport as snow covered the runway on draft day. In an instant the Raiders plan was to be carried out by owner Mark Davis.

The Draft:
Round 1: RG Beau Benzschawel
Round 2: RG Will Clapp
Round 2 TE Dalton Schultz (pick acquired through trade of Cook)
Round 3: TE Jeb Blazevich
Round 4: TE CJ Conrad
Round 5: WR Isaiah McKenzie
Round 6: RE Jacob Pugh
Round 7: RT David Bright
Round 8: C Josh Linthicum

And that's how it went. Three tight ends in a row were drafted while veteran Clive Walford was just signed to a new deal. The team's position players who were lost were not filled during the draft. There was no running game to support the Carr and there was little to no cap space left.

The season of purging
It's week 2 of the season and the Raiders are in a bind. Defensively young players like DE Jihad Ward and LB Ben Heeney are displaying incredible abilities. Former #1 picks SS Karl Joseph is starting to pick it up and the once lost CB DJ Hayden is finally stepping up. WR's Cooper and Crabtree are doing great with Seth Roberts still in a great supporting role. Chris Ivory is a regressing bandaid and his supporting cast is struggling to get moving. The team may be able to pull off a wild card appearance if they can stay healthy, but they have lost two line backers (including Bruce Irvin) for half the season due to injury. Depth is getting shallow as more injuries are around the corner and the cap issue still lingers.

The Oakland Raiders are a decent team with no bright future at the moment. They have prospects stepping up, but no money to fill in voids with proven players in free agency. Much less to sign any players with ending contracts around the corner (CB Sean Smith, QB Derek Carr, WR Amari Cooper). It's last year all over again with less upcoming picks and much less money. A lot will need to happen this year for Oakland to stay competitive in the upcoming weeks and in the future. The season preview should be about hype, but for now it's about concern.

Let's hope it doesn't snow again. - Greg Papa

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Greg Papa is an American sportscaster working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been broadcasting for the Oakland Raiders, Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants.

He is best known as the radio play-by-play caller for the Raiders and the host of Chronicle Live on CSN Bay Area. Papa is a three-time California Sportscaster of the Year Award winner.
 
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