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Oakland Raiders: Five Players Who Need To Show Up Big In 2016

By Kevin Saito

Feb 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders helmet at Santa Monica State Beach. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow owner Rams Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles for the 2016 season with an option also award to Raiders owner Mark Davis (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders helmet at Santa Monica State Beach. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow owner Rams Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles for the 2016 season with an option also award to Raiders owner Mark Davis (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oakland Raiders
Oct 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) runs after a catch while defended by San Diego Chargers inside linebacker Donald Butler (56) at Qualcomm Stadium. Oakland won 37-29. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

Amari Cooper

Cooper had a phenomenal rookie campaign. He was everything he was billed to be coming out of Alabama – and then some. With 72 receptions for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns, it’s hard to argue that Cooper didn’t play big time in 2015.

But he’s going to have to step it up even more this coming season.

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When Cooper had the ball in the open field, he was downright electric. He oftentimes made seasoned pros look utterly silly in trying to bring them down. But he also struggled a bit with some consistency and was tied for second leaguewide, with ten dropped passes on the season.

Knowing Cooper’s work ethic and drive to be the best, it’s probably a pretty safe bet that he is going to bring that number of drops down this season. Which is good news for the Silver and Black.

To have the kind of impact the Raiders will need though, not only is Cooper going to have to up his consistency, he’s also going to need to stay healthy. Cooper was arguably, one of the league’s top receivers over the first half of the season, in which he amassed 653 yards on 45 receptions and four of his six scores.

Oakland Raiders
Sep 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper (89) reacts after scoring on a 68-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens as at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Over the second half of the season though, he was less efficient on offense and his impact diminished greatly. Over the final eight games of the season, he collected 27 receptions for 417 yards and two scores – and was not nearly the force of nature he had been over the first eight.

Whether that had to do with lingering issues from the Mike Mitchell hit in the Pittsburgh game, hitting that notorious “rookie wall,” defenses keying on the receivers with the decline in Oakland’s running game and just doing a better job of containing him, or some combination of all of those factors, Cooper is going to need to find a way to work through it.

The Raiders haven’t had a legitimate number one receiver in a very long time. And Cooper is looking like he is the answer to that longstanding problem. But as great as he was last season, he’s going to need to be even better this year.

Next: A New Face In An Important Place

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