Oakland Raiders Need To Keep Building In The Dirt This Offseason

The Oakland Raiders owe much of their offensive success in 2016 to a near impenetrable offensive line – to soar to even greater heights in 2017, they’ll need to continue building in the trenches.

The Oakland Raiders had one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL last season. With a ground game that was solid, and an aerial assault led by Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Michael Crabtree, the Raiders lit up the stat sheet, as well as the scoreboard.

It was a remarkable turnaround for an offensive group that just the season before ranked at or near the bottom of most major statistical categories.

The progress of the offensive group didn’t just happen overnight though. It was the next logical step in a much larger picture. GM Reggie McKenzie has been doing a tremendous job of rebuilding this offensive group, brick by brick, stone by stone.

Last season’s offensive explosion was simply, the next progression in that evolution.

We can – and should – credit much of Oakland’s offensive success to Carr and his receivers, as well as Latavius Murray, DeAndre Washington, and Jalen Richard, who provided a potent enough running threat that it helped open up the passing game.

But a healthy amount of credit absolutely must be heaped on an offensive line that was pretty lights out this season. All season long, the offensive line was able to blow open holes for a strong running game and give Carr enough time to find his receivers.

Not only was Oakland’s offense the sixth best in the NFL this season, the offensive line also allowed a league-low 18 sacks on the season.

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Offensive line coach Mike Tice – whom Oakland has very wisely locked up with another contract – has helped build the foundation for the Raiders’ offensive success with an overpowering, dominant offensive line.

And as the old saying goes, games are won and lost in the trenches. The Raiders have done a tremendous job of shoring up one of those trenches, but as they make their plans for the offseason, the Raiders must turn their attention to the other.

While they certainly have other needs that should be addressed, the biggest area of need for the Raiders has got to be along the defensive line.

Yes, they need a linebacker (or two) who can actually defend the pass. They need linebackers who can pick up a tight end or a running back out of the backfield and actually make a play on the ball. The need for a linebacker like that is right near the top of the priority list, of course.

But more than anything, they need to be able to generate a pass rush.

The Raiders produced a league-low 25 sacks in 2016. And 11 of those came from just one guy – Khalil Mack. And it seems like a certainty that he – and probably Bruce Irvin – would have had more if they’d gotten some pressure and production out of the interior of that defensive line.

Stacy McGee provided a bit of a spark when he was in, but he was limited to just nine games this year and contributed just two and a half sacks. And veterans Dan Williams and Justin Ellis combined for half a sack – and not a lot of pressure up the middle.

Simply put, the Raiders need more from the interior of their defensive line. A lot more.

The lack of pressure along the interior not only allowed teams to double down on Mack and Irvin, they gave the opposing quarterbacks way too much time to sit back and pick apart Oakland’s secondary. Yeah, Sean Smith and David Amerson didn’t have banner years on the corners, but they also didn’t get a lot of help from a near non-existent pass rush, either.

That is where the Raiders need to put their emphasis this offseason – on building up that other trench.

Given the looming contract extensions for Carr and Mack – and eventually, Cooper – the Raiders are going to have a lot of money committed to those three cornerstone pieces. Which means, we shouldn’t expect to see McKenzie dropping a lot of cash on free agents this year – especially so, since he’s already stated that getting both Carr and Mack under contract for the foreseeable future is a priority. Which is prudent.

But that means the Raiders will have to look at lower cost free agents or build through the draft – something that McKenzie has proven to be very apt at doing.

With the twenty-fourth pick in the coming draft, Oakland is going to have to dig a little bit deeper than they have the last few years. Depending on the needs of the teams ahead of them, and factoring in the jockeying for position that will undoubtedly take place, McKenzie is really going to have to do his homework.

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With a late pick in the first round, and some of the premier interior linemen possibly already gone, McKenzie will need to find some hidden talent in the later rounds as well as through the ranks of undrafted free agents – something he’s had a great amount of success in over his tenure.

However he goes about it, upgrading the interior of their defensive line has got to be the priority this offseason. With a strong pass rush, the other pieces of this defensive puzzle very well may start falling into place.