Author: Balls MackTruck

Without asking the obvious, let’s look at 3 questions heading into each team’s training camp.

Los Angeles Chargers

Obvious Question – Should this team really be considered the class of the AFCW?

1. Can the defense repeat and even build upon their successes of 2017? It sure looks like they have all the pieces in place to be one of the best defenses in the AFC. If there is a weakness, it may be in the middle of the front 7. With the ability to line up one on in on the outside, they can get creative in providing support for the middle.
2. Will they be able to stay as healthy as they were able to in 2017? This team is usually bitten by the injury bug more often than they were in 2017. This may be worth keeping an eye on heading into training camp.
3. How will the offensive line come together? Forrest Lamp should be ready to go in year 2, Dan Feeney has a solid rookie season, Mike Pouncey was signed in Free Agency. The pieces seem to be there, but the question will be is how they all come together.

Kansas City Chiefs

Obvious Question – Patrick Mahomes.

1. Will the revamped defense turn things around? The Chiefs defense was bipolar last year. Rather than replacing their defensive coordinator, the Chiefs decided to part ways with players like Marcus Peters and Derrick Johnson. Not the route I would have gone, but we’ll see if it pays off.
2. Can the offense live up to the lofty expectations? There is a ton of hype surrounding the Chiefs offense heading into the season, as many expect them to be one of the best in the league despite the unproven QB.
3. Can Kareem Hunt repeat his extraordinary rookie season? He has all the tools to be able to be once of the best backs in the league, but it will be tough to replicate what he did in 2017. With Spencer Ware back, maybe he won’t have to.

Denver Broncos

Obvious Question – Case Keenum.

1. Is the secondary ready to handle the loss of Aqib Talib? The Broncos have an immediate replacement at the #1 CB position in Bradley Roby, the question will be if the rest of the group is ready to step in and provide he and Chris Harris Jr the necessary support to do what Denver has done so well the last few seasons with Talib in the mix.
2. Who starts on the offensive line, and where? The coaching staff has their work cut out for them putting the best unit together. I think you will see a myriad of combinations running in 1st/2nd team throughout training camp.
3. Are there enough weapons to help ease the pressure for Case Keenum? Despite putting up gawdy career numbers, Demaryius Thomas just doesn’t seem like a trustworthy receiver to help alleviate that pressure. Denver drafted Courtland Sutton and Desean Hamilton, but questions still linger at the TE and RB positions.

Las Vegas Raiders by way of Oakland

Obvious Question – Jon Gruden

1. Will Derek Carr bounce back into form? Carr was miserable in 2017. Sure, a lot of that can be attributed to those around him, but Carr still shoulders plenty of responsibility as well. Regaining his health, and hopefully a significant improvement schematically are great starts.
2. Is Paul Guenther capable of putting a respectable defense together? Oakland added a lot of guys this offseason on that side of the ball. It sure seems like Guenther has a few more pieces in the secondary that the previous defensive coordinator didn’t have, but with the sheer amount of new faces, Guenther has his work cut out for him.
3. How will Tom Cable and this offensive line co-exist? I still don’t know what the idea is up front, but on paper we have a predominantly zone scheme OL coach coaching up one of the heaviest offensive lines in the league. Not typically how you’d draw this up, and when Todd Downing tried running zone last year, it failed miserably.

Football Is Back!!

With the draft finally here and gone, it is time to take a step back and assess how each of the AFCW teams have done. We will start with the Las Vegas Raiders by way of Oakland.

Coaching Staff – The Raiders completely revamped their coaching staff, bringing in Jon Gruden along with his chosen staff. OC – Greg Olsen, DC – Paul Geunther, and ST – Rich Bisacchia.

Free Agents Lost – David Amerson (Chiefs), Sean Smith (State Penitentiary), TJ Carrie (Browns), Navarro Bowman (FA), Denico Autry (Colts)

Players Traded Away – Cordarelle Patterson (Patriots), Jamize Olawale (Cowboys)

Free Agents Re-Signed – Justin Ellis, Lee Smith, Reggie Nelson

Free Agents Signed – Too many to list, 20 to be exact. I will just list the notables. Rashaan Melvin, Tahir Whitehead, Jordy Nelson, Marcus Gilchrist, Daryl Worley, Leon Hall, Shareece Wright, Kyle Wilber, Tank Carradine, Doug Martin.

Raiders were busy in free agency, adding a handful of key starter/contributors, and overhauling the bottom third of the roster adding a lot of veteran depth. They did a good job of creating some quality depth across the roster that really allowed them to shift their focus to their needs entering draft day. Let’s see how they managed.

Needs Entering Draft: DT (pass rush specifically), OT, CB, DE, ILB, WR, TE, P.

Draft Selections:

Round 1, pick 15 (from ARI) — Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
Round 2, pick 57 (from TEN) — PJ Hall, DT, Sam Houston State
Round 3, pick 65 (from BAL) — Brandon Parker, OT, North Carolina A&T
Round 3, Pick 87 (from LAR) — Arden Key, DE, LSU
Round 4, pick 110 — Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin
Round 5, pick 140 (from IND) — Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
Round 5, pick 173 (from DAL) — Johnny Townsend, P, Florida
Round 6, pick 216 (Comp) — Azeem Victor, ILB, Washington
Round 7, pick 228 — Marcel Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State

First thing that stands out is the amount of trades that the Raiders made during the draft. They targeted players they wanted, and navigated up and down in order to draft them where they figured the value was appropriate. Let’s see how well they did in filling their needs.

DT – The Raiders have a couple quality run stopping options at defensive tackle, but they badly need some pass rush from the interior defensive line positions. They were able to draft the most productive interior pass rushers at both the FBS and the FCS levels in Maurice Hurst and PJ Hall respectively. Plenty of questions marks surround these two, but there is a very high reward associated with the risk.

OT – They drafted, arguably, the best LT prospect in the draft. I believe they would have drafted Mike McGlinchey at #10 to fill the hole at RT had they stayed put, but with the 49ers selecting him right ahead of them, the Raiders opted to trade back, pick up a little draft capital (that they’d in turn flip in a trade to the Steelers for WR Martavis Bryant) and select Kolton Miller, whom projects as Donald Penn’s replacement at LT. They also selected Brandon Parker in the 3rd round to compete for the open RT position. I’d guess he’s an early practice squad candidate, which is a huge disappointment for a 3rd round pick.

CB – A quality find in Nick Nelson from Wisconsin adds to a suddenly competitive cornerback position for the Raiders. This should be a fun group to watch compete in training camp to see if Conley/Melvin can establish themselves as the starters, and to see who rounds out the last few spots on the roster.

DE – Raiders are still looking for the “Robin” across the LOS from Khalil Mack. Bruce Irvin has been a quality player, but the Raiders could afford to find a better player at DE, freeing up Irvin to play for of a SLB role. Insert Arden Key, DE from LSU. First round talent, but a plethora of character concerns forced Key to fall to the 3rd round where the Raiders scooped him with the 87th overall pick.

ILB – I, like the Reggie McKenzie apparently, feel pretty comfortable with who they already have at the LB position, but most of the pundits had this as a much higher need. The Raiders used a late round pick to add Azeem Victor from Washington. Another player with a lot of desirable traits, but comes with questions marks as he suffered a knee injury in 2016, and a DUI arrest in 2017.

WR – Raiders added Martavis Bryant by trading the 3rd round pick they received from the Cardinals in the trade in the 1st round. Great addition if Bryant can keep his nose out of trouble. Sensing a trend?

TE – The Raiders did not address this position, and will enter OTA’s with a paper thin depth chart with a quality player in Jared Cook, but limited players behind him in Lee Smith and Derek Carrier

P – Oakland drafted Marquette King’s replacement, Johnny Townsend in the 5th round.

Raiders will have a new look this fall, with an all new coaching staff, surrounded by a ton of new faces to the Raiders. On paper, they seem to have improved greatly on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but their success will likely be determined by the job Jon Gruden and his staff does schematically. Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie have made a lot of risky moves. There is potential that this all blows up in their faces, but there is also a good chance that they have the makings to be a really special team.

It’s been a while since I’ve contributed around here, so bare with me a little. I was thinking about grading the Raiders free agent signings individually in the comments section, but quickly realized we had a ton of signings and that it’d probably be best if I write an article instead. Pull a little of my own weight around here.

Much has been made of the signings in Oakland as Jon Gruden begins his tenure, that he’s following the same old recipe as his last stop. Opting for aging veterans, than the youth that typically wins out in today’s NFL.  I think it’s all overblown, and just writers looking to generate clicks, and right now there are few things in the NFL that will generate more clicks than a Raiders hot take.

Lets take a look at all of the Raiders free agency moves heading into the last few weeks before the draft.

CB Rashaan Melvin – A+ – The biggest need the Raiders had going into the offseason was at cornerback, and the Raiders added a guy that was a lockdown corner in 2017 on a cheap 1 year, $6.5M prove it deal. One of the best signings in all of free agency this offseason.

S Marcus Gilchrist – A- – The Raiders added a solid veteran DB on another small 1 year, $4.5M contract in Gilchrist. Gilchrist logged over 100 snaps at S, LB, and slot CB in 2017. Paul Guenther needed that versatility in his secondary given all the question marks it had when he agreed to be the team’s new DC.

S/CB Leon Hall – A- – A sneaky good signing by the Raiders, given Hall’s plethora of experience in Guenther’s defense. Hall can contribute in many ways off the field, and can still contribute in a limited capacity on the field as well.

LB Tahir Whitehead – B+ – One of the Raiders other big needs was at LB. Whitehead is another player that adds a lot of versatility with his ability to play all 3 LB positions in Guenther’s defense. The only reason this grade isn’t higher is due to the size of contract Oakland doled out, 3 years $18M.

WR Jordy Nelson – B – One of the bigger surprises so far this offseason, was replacing the often controversial Michael Crabtree with a more calming presence in Jordy Nelson. Given the size of the contracts that were being handed out to WR’s this free agency, Oakland has to feel good about getting Nelson for 2 years and $15M despite his age. I didn’t see a player that lost much of a step in his advanced age, I’m only a little hesitant about the signing because of Jordy’s injury history.

LB Kyle Wilber – B – Wilber adds some versatility to the Raiders depth chart, but more importantly he’s been a rock in the Cowboys special teams units since he was drafted in the 4th round of the 2014 draft.

DE Tank Carradine – B – No risk signing with some upside. Solid depth along the defensive line with some ability to contribute in ST’s.

WR/KR Dewayne Harris – B- – A solid Patterson replacement, I haven’t seen the details of this contract, but I’m assuming its in the $2-3M range annually.

FB Keith Smith – C+ – I was originally pretty high on this pickup, trading an overpaid fullback in Olawale for some draft positioning and a cheaper, better run blocking FB in Smith…. but then I saw the Raiders gave Smith a 2 year $4.2M contract.

RB Doug Martin – C – Again, little risk with some upside. If Martin makes the team, it will be because he looks like 4.9 YPC Doug Martin, and not 2.9 YPC Doug Martin in training camp.

CB Shareece Wright – C – I think you could do worse at #4/5 CB than Shareece Wright. Nothing flashy, but a decent add.

OT Breno Giocamini – D+ – The guy is not good. I have a sneaky suspicion that he will actually make the team, and be relied upon at times, which I don’t like. Hopefully the younger guys step up in training camp. I think the ability is there for Sharpe, Kirkland, Alexander and Ware, they just have to do it.

Other FA signings that I’m not going to bother elaborating on S Reggie Nelson, QB EJ Manuel, QB Josh Johnson, LB Emmanuel Lamur, P Colby Wadman, LS Andrew Depaola, TE Derek Carrier, TE Lee Smith, WR/KR Griff Whalen.

Oakland has been busy this offseason. I thought the Raiders did a solid job adding a few starters and key contributors at positions of need but maybe more importantly rounding out the bottom of the roster with high character veterans. I think McKenzie and Gruden raised the floor of the Raiders depth chart significantly on financially savvy deals. The moves should buy management a couple/few years to hopefully add more difference makers via the draft, something they haven’t been able to accomplish the last couple years.