Oakland Raiders: 5 Of The Team’s Biggest X-Factors In 2015

May 19, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders safety Jonathan Dowling (23) stretches at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders have made it through the first two weeks of OTA’s and have had a number of standout performances from a number of different players. Of course, some will argue that OTA’s mean nothing, and that it’s easy to look good when you’re in shorts and not taking contact. Which is a fair enough point.

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But while the team may not be in pads, and they may not be taking live shots, OTA’s can begin to give the coaches a decent idea of who might be a gamer and who might be. Of course, this is all subject to change once the pads go on and the hitting begins, but there is still some valuable data that can be gathered during these sessions. Not to mention that it’s a time for the players to get familiar with the system and scheme, build chemistry, and bond as a team.

It’s also the time that players can begin trying to catch the eye of the coaching staff. With a lot of hard work and making some timely plays, some of the players thought to be on the bubble can try to make something of a name for themselves as they begin to campaign for a spot on the final 53-man roster.

Of course, nothing is decided in May and June, and the real battles for roster spots kick off in July with the opening of training camps.

For the first time in a long time, the Raiders find themselves nearly bursting at the seams with talent. With upgrades to virtually every position group over the course of the offseason, the 2015 Raiders look like they will be able to make a serious run at clawing their way back to NFL relevance.

And much sooner than most people anticipate.

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Though the coaching staff and fans pretty much know what to expect from players like Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, and Charles Woodson, just to name a few, it’s clear that the Raiders are going to need big contributions from a number of their less celebrated players. They’re going to need some of their role players to step up and play huge for this team if they’re going to have a chance in the AFC West.

And the good news is, that at least through the first couple of weeks of OTA’s, it’s looking like the Raiders are going to have big contributions from a number of different players.

Let’s look then, at a few of the players who could be the biggest X-Factors for the Raiders this season…

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