Oakland Raiders Must Think Outside the Box to Be “Cutting Edge”

Oakland Raiders HC Jack Del Rio got some folks talking – and not all of it negatively for a change – when he suggested to reporters that his team was going to be on the cutting edge this season. Del Rio then went on to outline the upgrades being made to the team’s facilities, as well as to their conditioning and nutritional programs.

Del Rio believes that by doing these things, small measures though they may be, it will bring Oakland into the 21st century, and make them a more competitive squad in 2015.

And who’s to say he’s wrong? Certainly, being able to train in facilities that don’t look like they’re straight out of the 1960’s – and are likely equipped in the same fashion – will give the team a psychological edge, if nothing else. Modern times call for modern – or even futuristic methods – and Del Rio should absolutely be applauded for already putting his own stamp on the team by bringing the Raiders into the modern era.

But – and there’s always a but isn’t there? – a team can have all of the ultra-modern weight rooms, nutrition-conscious cafeterias that serve food tailored to a specific player’s dietary needs, and film rooms with super HD equipment they want, but winning on the field boils down to having players who have the will to win. Players with an edge. Players that are hungry.

And given the lack of success the Raiders have had over the last twelve years or so, the organization should have players that are absolutely starving by this point.

While a lot of talk and column space has been dedicated to what the Raiders are going to do in the draft – Amari Cooper or Leonard Williams? – as well as what they’ll do in free agency – Ndamukong Suh or Terrance Knighton? – little attention has been paid to the perceived lower tier players Oakland can and must look at to fill out their roster.

After all, there are only so many high profile, big name rookies and established free agents to go around in the NFL. But the pool of “lower tier players,” and under the radar types seems bottomless. And these are the guys that are the hungriest of all.

Reggie McKenzie is a notoriously thrifty general manager. That thriftiness helped get the Raiders out of the salary cap Hell, and dire financial straits the late Al Davis left the team in over the last few seasons of his life. And with a number of low-risk, team-friendly contracts, has left the Raiders with an abundance of cap room over the last two seasons.

But when it comes to McKenzie’s thriftiness, the other side of that coin is that he’s given out contracts to players well past their prime who have contributed nothing to the team. LaMarr Woodley, Carlos Rogers, C.J. Wilson, and on and on fall into that category. Though there have been some free agent successes like Justin Tuck, Donald Penn, and Tarell Brown, they have been few and far between.

With the free agency window set to open in just a couple of short weeks, the Raiders will once again have to dip into those waters in an attempt to extract some talent. While there is a lot of speculation about the top tier free agents the team will pursue, McKenzie and Del Rio aren’t letting the cat out of the bag just yet.

Aug 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam (96) looks on prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

One name that McKenzie and Del Rio should absolutely take a long look at is Michael Sam. Out of work since the Dallas Cowboys released him from their practice squad back in October, Sam is one of those “fringe” players who can help the Raiders return to relevance.

The Raiders absolutely must revitalize their pass rush. As a team, Oakland combined for a meager 22 sacks in 2014. The Raiders’ defensive ends accounted for just seven of those – dead last in the league. Among other defensive deficiencies, the Raiders had a miserable time applying consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That lack of pressure allowed even second tier quarterbacks like Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick to sit back in the pocket and pick the defense apart.

While adding Michael Sam certainly won’t cure all of the Raiders’ defensive woes, he could certainly help get them on the right track.

Over his career at Missouri, Sam was a force along the defensive front, culminating in a senior year that saw him rack up 48 tackles – 19 for a loss – 11.5 sacks, and SEC co-defensive player of the year honors. In his brief stint with the St. Louis Rams, Sam showed in limited playing time, that he still has a knack for getting to the quarterback, tallying three total sacks.

While Oakland will most certainly be aggressive in free agency this offseason, likely pursuing the likes of Suh, Julius Thomas, Randall Cobb, and more, the organization will need to look at lesser known talents to fill out the roster. The coming veteran’s combine gives them a chance to take a look at some players who have talent and passion for the game, but for one reason or another, didn’t manage to stick on a roster — players like Sam.

Sam will be the sort of bargain player McKenzie loves to sign – he can probably be had for the league minimum. He’s young, aggressive, and hungry to show that he can contribute to an NFL team. The Raiders have a desperate need for an edge rusher, and Sam couldn’t do any worse than say, Woodley and his zero sacks did last season.

By this point in time, Sam’s story has been told so often and from every conceivable angle that it’s not even newsworthy anymore – which effectively kills the “Sam is a distraction” argument. All Sam wants to do is play football and help a team get to the next level. And he has the skills to do just that.