The 53-man roster is set (for the most part, at least), the exhibition games are over and Game 1 of the regular season looms on Sunday for the Oakland Raiders. With just days to go before the 2015 season kicks off, what are the five biggest question marks hanging over the team?
The cornerbacks – The Raiders want to believe this young group of defensive backs will be good, but their performance in the preseason was inconsistent at best and scary at worst. It was believed the team would add a veteran cornerback from waivers to strengthen this group, but it didn’t happen. TJ Carrie looked the most solid, but it’s an inexperienced corps of DJ Hayden, Keith McGill, Neiko Thorpe, Chimdi Chekwa and Dexter McDonald. This team’s pass rush and linebacker play may be much better in 2015, but if the cornerbacks are flawed, this defense could be in trouble.
Smart play – The Raiders in 2015 are likely to be better than the 3-13 team of 2014, but their margin for error will be small. Oakland will have to avoid stupid penalties and be much better at protecting the ball on offense and taking it away on defense to make a big jump in the AFC West. The Raiders were the worst team in the NFL in turnover margin in 2014, at minus-15. That will have to change.
Latavius Murray – The running back looks like the real deal. Murray, in a brief audition late in 2014, showed power and speed, and he also looked good in training camp this summer. The Raiders need Murray to be a difference-maker at running back and give the offense a go-to ballcarrier to help control the clock and take some of the pressure off young quarterback Derek Carr. Oakland was dead last in the NFL in rushing yards in 2014, averaging just 77.5 yards per game. That has to get better.
Derek Carr – Carr looked solid as a rookie quarterback. He started all 16 games, had 21 touchdown passes vs. just 12 interceptions and threw for 3,270 yards. But much more will be expected of him in 2015 with a better receiving corps and new offensive coordinator. Carr often settled for short throws and didn’t challenge defenses deep to spread the field. His 5.5 yards-per-attempt average was poor. The Raiders say they love the way he throws the deep ball. But will he be able to in games this season?
Coaching staff – Jack Del Rio looks like a head coach, sounds like a head coach and acts like a head coach. His players seem to believe in him, and he’s built a staff with solid pros such as Bill Musgrave, Ken Norton Jr., Mike Tice and Brad Seely. But producing a winning team in Oakland is a tall order for a franchise that hasn’t tasted success in more than a decade. Will Del Rio and Co. be able to adjust, make changes, build on some early successes and make the right moves on a team with some nice young talent – but not nearly as much depth as the franchise would like? Fans will get their first clue on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals at O.co Coliseum.
