Five Thoughts And Observations On The State Of The Raiders Roster

Free agency is slowing down, but the NFL offseason is just getting started.

Between the draft and a handful of top free agents still available, the Raiders have some of their biggest roster decisions still ahead.

Here are five thoughts and observations on the state of the roster…

1 – The Raiders still want another wide receiver. As of now the wide receiver room essentially consists of Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, Seth Roberts, Griff Whalen, and Johnny Holton.

Jon Gruden has talked about attacking defenses downfield, but the Raiders are lacking a reliable speedster to compliment Cooper.

Mike Wallace is 31, but still has speed to stretch the defense. With few options remaining at receiver, why not add Wallace to the mix in Oakland?

2 – Something is up with tight end Jared Cook. His name is coming up far too often as someone the Raiders are thinking of cutting or trading.

Cook didn’t play poorly in 2017 so there has to be more to the story. One way or another, it seems like Cook isn’t going to be with the Raiders next year.

If that happens, what tight end on the roster is going to catch passes?

3 – Is Gruden confident in any of the QB backups in Oakland?

Derek Carr is tied to the Raiders for five more years so grooming a young quarterback (like Connor Cook) might not be worth the trouble.

Why not add a veteran quarterback who could win a couple games if called upon?

Considering Carr’s recent injury history, the backup quarterback in Oakland might be a big deal – just look at what happened in Philadelphia last year. Imagine if Matt McGloin had been the backup instead of Nick Foles.

Jerry McDonald mentioned this idea first and it’s a good one – there is a good chance the Raiders backup quarterback isn’t currently on the roster.

My guess? The eventual backup for #Raiders Derek Carr is not yet on the roster.

— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) March 19, 2018

4 – The Raiders need to add an interior pass rusher and another linebacker.

Ndamukong Suh may be too expensive and NaVorro Bowman seems to be holding out for the best opportunity, but between the draft and free agency (or even a trade), something significant needs to happen down the middle of the Raider defense.

For what it’s worth, the Raiders can absolutely make room for Suh in terms of salary cap. If they want Suh and are willing to pay him, they can get him.

Imagine if the Raiders did nothing more to their defense than sign Suh and draft Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.

That wouldn’t be bad at all.

5 – Gruden seems to have hitched his wagon to Marshawn Lynch. The Raiders paid Lynch a $1 million roster bonus this month and have spent much of the past two weeks securing players to block for him.

It’s unlikely Gruden would trust a rookie in a full-time role (Doug Martin may not even make the team) so unless the Raiders make a big move, it looks like ‘Beast Mode’ or bust in 2018.

#Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch restructured his contract Saturday before his $1M roster bonus was due. Base value in 2018 is now $5.5M — $500K less than before — but he’s practically guaranteed $4.5M of that (instead of $0) … and can earn up to $9.25M total with incentives.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 21, 2018

For Lynch’s part, he has about 9.25 million reasons to enter training camp ready to dominate the season.

twitter: @raidersbeat