Oakland Raiders: 3 Reasons To Be Excited, 3 Reasons To Be Worried

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Sep 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fans watch the game from the Black Hole during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at O.co Coliseum. Oakland won 19-9. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re an Oakland Raiders‘ fan, it most certainly has been an interesting offseason, hasn’t it?

Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders got things started by hiring Jack Del Rio to be the new head man. He in turn, has hired an excellent staff who when combined, have more than a century’s worth of experience in the NFL. And then a bunch of veterans who were little more than stop gap measures – LaMarr Woodley, Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown, etc. – were released.

Then the free agency period started and McKenzie, armed with a Brinks Truck full of cash and started throwing money around like Adam Jones at a gentleman’s club. Or at least, he tried to. Some of free agency’s biggest names, Ndamukong Suh, Randall Cobb, and DeMarco Murray said, thanks but no thanks.

In their place though, McKenzie and Del Rio put their heads together and signed some very solid, still young and in their prime, players who infused Oakland’s roster with more talent than it’s seen in some time, and have made the Raiders a better team already.

A little less than a week ago, the NFL held the draft in Chicago. With some very wise, very deft selections, the Raiders added even more talent – and more importantly, some depth at key positions – making Oakland’s more talented still.

Then Black Monday happened and the Raiders started cutting guys left and right. The most surprising cut among them perhaps, was wide receiver James Jones, who led the team in receptions, and very nearly, in receiving yards as well last season. For many, it was a surprising cut in that in his lone year in Oakland, he established a strong rapport with rookie QB Derek Carr, and became his favorite, and most reliable target.

Apparently though, some of the Raider faithful still hold that terrible double fumble Jones had against the Texans against him and aren’t all that sorry to see him go. But that’s neither here nor there at this point.

The net result of Oakland’s very busy offseason, is that this roster has gotten better, stronger, and most importantly, deeper at a lot of key spots. There is no question that this team is better and is more talented than it was a year ago. With a core of young playmakers, and a competent, experienced coaching staff, the sky does really seem to be the limit for the Raiders in 2015.