Raiders Opinion: Building Depth

Believing the Oakland Raiders don’t need to add to positions after signing players to one-year deals at said spots is not only foolish, it’s dangerous. A team coming off a 4-12 campaign under a hotshot head coach and neophyte general manager cannot afford complacency. The Raiders must attack positions and depth as if they do not have any at all.

Here’s the list of one-times (contract details via OverTheCap.com)

• Vontaze Burfict (LB): $2 million ($300,000 guaranteed)
• Josh Mauro (DL): $1.4 million ($400,000 guaranteed)
• Nevin Lawson (CB): $3.05 million ($1.55 million guaranteed)
• Jordan Devey (OL): $805,000 ($90,000 guaranteed)
• Mike Glennon (QB): $1.95 million ($1.4 million guaranteed)
• Curtis Riley (DB): $810,000 ($165,000 guaranteed)
• Landry Jones (QB): $805,000
• Isiah Crowell (RB): $2.5 million
• Brandon Marshall (LB): $1.1 million ($350,000 guaranteed)
• Luke Wilson (TE): Details not available

Depth Issues

Unquestionably, Burfict (if healthy) and Marshall (if he’s 100%) fill positions of major need in Oakland. The Raiders linebackers have been a hodgepodge of “who” for a long while. Lawson and Riley help bolster a leaky secondary (along with high-priced addition Lamarcus Joyner), Crowell adds a capable ball carrier in the backfield and both Glennon and Jones add more to the quarterback’s room. Yet, none of the aforementioned are inspiring.

Stay and Compete

Raiders general manager Mike Mayock stated the additions give the team more “competition”. And he knows the team can add more in the draft. Regardless of who was added, selecting another linebacker, another defensive back, running back or quarterback (lest we mention much-needed edge rusher) wouldn’t be redundant in Oakland.

Holes to Fill

Why? That’s just how bad the roster depth is. Burfict and Marshall were sound players a few years ago. Now? Remains to be seen. Outside of Crowell and Lawson, there’s a lot of “what ifs” in the one-year pacts. None are even guaranteed to make it on the regular-season 53-man roster.

For good teams, redundancy is a luxury. That’s not the case for the Silver & Black. There’s no silvering lining right now. Even with a backloaded group at defensive tackle, adding Quinnen Williams would be a wise maneuver. The lack of talent and star power in Oakland is apparent and blinding.

“In Denver we won a lot. I know what it takes to win, I know what kind of habits it takes to win. I know the mindset that you need to have, and the camaraderie that the team needs to have in order to win,” Marshall told Raiders.com after his signing.

Fixes

Those “winners” had the horses to be victorious in the race of the NFL. The Raiders have many mules, but too few thoroughbreds. Moreover, that is where the draft comes in. Mayock and his draft wizardry combined with Jon Gruden’s staff wants and needs need to meld together into a perfect concoction of success.