As the Oakland Raiders move closer and closer to the 2013 NFL Draft, the simple fact that Oakland needs help—a lot of help—remains as clear as ever.Since the 2012 season ended, rumors around Oakland have swirled about the possibility of trading down in the draft in order to stockpile multiple picks in the early rounds. The problem was, there didn't appear to be many teams who fit the bill.Enter the San Francisco 49ers.As multiple outlets have reported early Wednesday morning, Oakland's Bay Area neighbors appear poised to send Alex Smith to Kansas City in exchange for their 2013 second-round pick ...
The 2013 NFL Scouting Combine has reached its conclusion, and with that, the Oakland Raiders continue their preparation in advance of April's NFL Draft. The Raiders’ offseason needs have been well documented. They could certainly use help at pass-rusher, defensive tackle, cornerback, offensive line and wide receiver to name a few. Coming away from this combine, as seems to be the case every year, several prospects have helped their draft stock in a big way. As such, the Raiders could be starting to get a much better idea of who should be selected to help rebuild this franchise. Here are five ...
The combine is over and the 2013 NFL draft is less than two months away.General manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen have their share of homework to do by evaluating the talent they saw in Indianapolis.This is McKenzie's first year with a healthy amount of draft picks.Here is where the Raiders' mock draft stands now that the NFL combine is in the books.All combine statistics courtesy of NFL.com.Begin Slideshow
The Oakland Raiders are in salary cap purgatory. A roster full of overpaid and under-performing players has left general manager Reggie McKenzie with a lot of tough decisions to make. McKenzie had started his tenure by purging the roster of the worst contracts, while restructuring the others. In Year 2 of the rebuilding process, McKenzie has more tough decisions to make. Players will be released, but he’ll also have to do more restructuring.One of the biggest decisions McKenzie has to make comes at the quarterback position. Carson Palmer will make $13 million in base salary alone in 2013, with $2.3 million more ...
What should the Oakland Raiders do in April to help restore their winning ways? With the No. 3 overall selection in the 2013 NFL draft, general manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen confront an all-important opportunity as they continue to rebuild a long-suffering franchise. Over the next two months, I will analyze the team's first-round options and discuss whom the Raiders should select, whom they should avoid, and whether a trade is a realistic or wise possibility. This initial edition considers results from the just-completed NFL Scouting Combine, as well as reports and rumors that have floated about during recent ...
The Oakland Raiders, according to an ESPN report, are trying to restructure the contract of quarterback Carson Palmer for next season. ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted out the Raiders' plans:The Raiders are making a mistake by keeping Palmer, even with a restructured contract.Based on Palmer's current deal, he's set to make $13 million for the 2013 season. That's entirely too much for an at-best average quarterback. The smartest move for the Raiders is to release Palmer and go in a different direction. Palmer didn't play well in 2012, despite having decent numbers. Much of his positive stats were accumulated in garbage time as ...
The Oakland Raiders learned the hard way that there’s no such thing as a “can’t-miss” NFL draft prospect. Robert Gallery was a once-in-a-decade left tackle prospect and the Raiders had to move him to left guard to get anything out of him. Rolando McClain was supposed to the long-term answer at middle linebacker, but has struggled on and off the field. Of course, we also know that a lot more goes into the success and failure of players than just their ability to play the game. How a player is used, his health, how he responds to the NFL lifestyle, ...
The Oakland Raiders have a decision to make at the quarterback position this offseason between Carson Palmer and Terrelle Pryor. One is a known commodity, while the other, 23-year-old Pryor, could allow the Raiders to build a dynamic offense for the future. Palmer has gone 8-16 over his last two years as a starter and has thrown 30 interceptions. At 33 years old, he is clearly on the decline. Palmer is owed $15 million in 2013 and $17 million the year after (Spotrac). According to Rotoworld, the Raiders are expected to ask Palmer to take a pay cut. If not, the team ...
Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Desmond Bryant was reportedly arrested in Miami Saturday night, not wide receiver Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys as previously reported, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, via Twitter:Omar Kelly of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel originally reported it was Dez Bryant that was arrested, later admitting his mistake via Twitter:NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provides the official arrest records that provide details matching those of the Raiders’ defensive lineman:The charge on the record was criminal mischief, but no further details of the arrest have surfaced at this time. Bryant is entering his fifth season ...
While the Oakland A's had a successful season by all means in 2012, the infield is bound to be a lot better in 2013. The A's went out and got Hiroyuki Nakajima and Jed Lowrie, and they will return formerly injured Scott Sizemore in 2013. Brandon Moss hit .291 in 2012, and Donaldson hit .284 in his last 225 at-bats (for the regular season). Sizemore doesn't have too much on his resume, but he is a talented player who may start at second base.Lowrie has some pop, as he homered in 4.71 of his at-bats in 2012. He is a good ...