The 2014 offseason has been both busy and productive for an Oakland Raiders team looking to make some significant progress in its rebuilding efforts.
By way of free agency and the draft, Reggie McKenzie and his staff have been able to improve the talent level throughout the team’s depth chart.
This should make for a much-needed increase in competition throughout, while also putting into question the roster status of some players who have been with the team for a number of seasons.
Of course, each player will have every opportunity to prove their ability, but improvements made throughout the roster this offseason will ...
He might not have been a first-round pick, but Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr might find himself in the best situation of all rookie quarterbacks heading into next season.
Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater were all selected ahead of Carr in the first round.
Carr, selected in the top of the second round, and No. 36 overall, might be allowed to sit, learn and develop unlike those other guys selected above him.
Carr steps into a situation in Oakland in which Matt Schaub is the clear starter heading into next season.
Bortles sits behind Chad Henne on the depth chart right now ...
Finally, after all of the organized chaos that was the 2014 NFL draft, the dust has finally started to settle for the Oakland Raiders.
For all of the fire and brimstone Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has had to walk through leading up to the draft, he found a way to land one heck of a draft class.
A potential franchise-changing quarterback in Derek Carr, a brawny guard named Gabe Jackson and, of course, Khalil Mack, the defensive barbarian from the University of Buffalo, take top billing as the team's next generation of stars.
As always, time will ultimately tell the whole story ...
The Oakland Raiders got their quarterback of the present by trading for Matt Schaub earlier this offseason. They hope to have drafted their quarterback of the future in Fresno State's Derek Carr.
The Raiders also need players for those quarterbacks to throw to, and the Raiders added a young wide receiver on the cheap Monday.
The problem is that receiver has very little chance of catching the passes thrown his way.
In more ways than one.
As Bleacher Report NFL National Lead Writer Matt Miller tweeted Monday, the Raiders claimed wideout Greg Little off waivers:
The fourth-year pro and former second-round pick was waived by ...
There's a Gray horse in the 2014 American League Cy Young race. Either that, or the dark horse in the race is Sonny.
Whatever. You get it. Puns for young Oakland A's right-hander Sonny Gray, who is very much in the AL Cy Young discussion with a 5-1 record and a 2.10 ERA through his first nine starts.
That ERA ranks second in the AL behind reigning winner Max Scherzer, which is a good look. Also a good look is how Gray is surrounded on that leaderboard by heavyweights like Mark Buehrle, Masahiro Tanaka and Yu Darvish. Gray looks slightly out of ...
The Oakland Raiders selected linebacker Khalil Mack with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
What type of production are the Raiders expecting from Mack in his rookie season? When will they insert QB Derek Carr into the starting lineup? Who's the sleeper of the Raiders' class?
Watch as Adam Lefkoe and CSN Bay Area's Scott Bair discuss the Raiders' draft picks in the video above. Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
The Oakland A's are off to such a fine start in this 2014 season that it seems all but clear that they should be buyers at the trade deadline. Of course they don't have to, but you can guarantee other contenders will be. If Billy Beane wants to advance to the World Series, he'll have to pull off moves to keep pace.
It's hard to find a solid position that makes sense outside of the fifth spot in the starting rotation.
Catcher is out. Derek Norris and John Jaso are both hitting well, and Stephen Vogt lies in wait in case one ...
The Oakland Raiders signed a flurry of free agents after the draft. They were patient during the draft and took the best players available, but they also missed out on some areas of need. Wide receiver and tight end were two positions that could use more depth on the roster, and they were addressed by the team's signings after the draft.
The Raiders have made a couple of impact signings over the last two seasons. In 2012, Oakland signed undrafted free-agent wide receiver Rod Streater. He led the team in receptions and yardage in 2013 and looks to be the No. ...
After the best draft they have had in a number of years, as well as the free-agent additions made beforehand, the Oakland Raiders can look at their 2014 offseason as a success.
Having said that, plenty of time remains before the season gets underway in September, and there is still some work to be done in improving the team.
That work can include further additions to the roster, making schematic adjustments prior to the season and addressing the long-term contract situations of current players.
With the draft now complete, here are some areas of focus for the Raiders as the offseason continues.Begin Slideshow
There is no doubt the Oakland Raiders improved their roster after the 2014 NFL draft. They added players that can come in and start on day one, as well as players that will be important pieces within the next couple of years. The Raiders have been busy this offseason adding new players.
The Oakland Raiders' draft philosophy is to draft the best player available, regardless of position. It worked great this year because they were able to find some players that filled areas of need.
It was important for the Raiders to address the following positions: quarterback, cornerback, the interior ...