Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

There is no longer a revolving door in Oakland. Once upon a time names would come and go with real regularity. These days Raiders checkout never to check-in again.

Philip Wheeler, Desmond Bryant, Mike Goodson and now Matt Shaughnessy have all gone elsewhere. According to reports Shaughnessy will ink a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals as the Oakland exodus continues.

Shaughnessy’s tenure in Oakland was one of disappointment as the promising prospect never hit his stride. Just as he was looking likely to breakout injury occurred and by the time Shaughnessy was healthy again a new regime came around and he was nowhere to be found.

The former Wisconsin Badger was once hailed as a top tier defensive end by teammate Richard Seymour. Sadly Shaughnessy was nothing more than another Oakland urban legend not unlike Chaz Schilens.

None the less it’s yet another hole to fill on the Raiders roster.

To date none of the Raiders unrestricted free agents have been retained.  The amount of money committed to Bryant and Wheeler kept the Raiders out of the running. But there are still some big names twisting in the wind as Brandon Myers and Shane Lechler remain available.

No telling what will happen next. Odds are we’re looking at another lackluster free agency period as all attention will shorty turn to the draft.

November 28, 2010; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Matt Shaughnessy (77) in between plays against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Miami defeated Oakland 33-17. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

To be fair Schilens never came close to producing like Shaughnessy has even with the talented defensive end missing most of last season due to injury.

Something else Schilens never had was a massive vote of confidence from a future Hall of Famer. Shaughnessy got just that today during the first day of Oakland’s mandatory mini-camp in the form of a glowing review from Richard Seymour. When asked about what it means to have Shaughnessy healthy Seymour said the following.

“I tell him all the time, he’s the best run defensive end in the NFL, for sure, in terms of stopping the run. He’s the best in the NFL against the run. I can’t say that against the pass now for all the sacks a lot of the other defensive ends have. In terms of the run, I’ll put him out there with anyone. He’s definitely developed into a complete player. It was a big blow for us when he went down.”

That’s a seriously bold statement considering how horrible Oakland has been when it comes to defending the run. What’s even more impressive is that Shaughnessy began his career as a guy that was pretty mush a pass rushing specialist. We’ve seen him improve in defending the run but to hear Seymour call him the best in the league is a high compliment to say the least.

Of course all that high praise means nothing if Shaughnessy isn’t healthy. Today was the first action Shaughnessy has seen since he was shutdown last season due to that shoulder injury. As of now there are no side effects. In fact, Shaughnessy says he’s ready to go right now.

 “I’m full-go now. If there was a game on Sunday, I’d play.”

Let’s hope it stays that way. A lot of people see a Pro Bowl caliber player in Shaughnessy. He’ll have to put up some impressive numbers to work his way into that conversation. Something else that will help his cause will be the Raiders’ talented D-line playing up to their full potential this season. That’s something else Shaughnessy is expecting this season under Dennis Allen’s new philosophy. Of course Coach Allen knows that the scheme will only take this defense so far. The rest is on the players.

“It’s dependent on how much those guys are willing to put forth as far as the effort to continue to improve. If they’re willing to put forth effort to continue to improve, they can be as good as they want to be.”

Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

It’s almost embarrassing that ESPN’s AFC West blogger Bill Williamson ranked the top defensive linemen in the division and Raiders occupy four of the top six slots. It’s embarrassing for a lot of reasons.

For one the unit looked nothing like a top tier bunch last season. Top notch D-lines don’t get the ball shoved down their throats by every team under the sun no matter their running pedigree. The New England Patriots couldn’t run the rock to save their lives until they came to Oakland last season. Just sayin’.

It’s also embarrassing because much of what went into Williamson’s rankings is all based on potential and past promise. Richard Seymour is at the point in his career when he gets a pass based on his past accomplishments. Seymour clocks in at the top spot in the AFC West according to Williamson. I’m not saying Seymour is past his prime and isn’t playing at a high level. I’m just making the case that Tommy Kelly has been the better performer these last two years.

At the number four spot, just beneath Kelly, is Lamarr Houston a man that showed plenty of potential as a rookie yet didn’t progress much during his second season. Houston has long been the darling of scouts because of his upside. We’re all still waiting to see that talent come to the field every Sunday.

While we’re on the subject of potential, Matt Shaughnessy rounds out Oakland’s D-line bounty as the sixth rated lineman in the AFC West. Now we all know Shaughnessy’s talent is real. Truth be told he could be Oakland’s best lineman but he too has yet to put it all together. 2011 was supposed to be his breakout season but a shoulder injury ended that.

Overall the talent is there. Problem is when you throw on the game tape you don’t see it every Sunday. Some games Seymour and Kelly are monsters in the middle while Shaughnessy and Houston are terrors on the outside. The next week that line is nowhere to be found.

Consistency is what separates the greats from the very goods. Oakland’s line has been very good but not great.

Perhaps the new defensive philosophy will allow this unit to shine the way we know it can. But until then this is just more hype. Wake me up when the results are on the field.

In order for the Raiders to take that next step and make the leap into the playoffs they’re going to need an improved defense. Not a dominant defense, not with the amazing collection of offensive talent the Raiders boast. Just an opportunistic, bend but don’t break style of D that can make big plays and get key stops.

Is that asking too much?

Football still is and always will be a physical competition. The rules may change by the essence of the game remains the same. The tone is set by the men in the trenches doing the dirty work. Oakland’s D-line has the talent to affect the outcome of any game on any given Sunday. We just haven’t seen that often enough. This could be Seymour’s final season as a Raider so it would be nice to see him come full circle by getting this team into the postseason. It is a real possibility if all the promise of the front four comes into full view in 2012.