Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

The Raiders have not even thrown on their pads yet and there are already minor injuries occuring in camp. Today, both Richard Gordon and Mike Goodson were reported to go down with minor injuries during the run through in practice. Ron Bartell is also dealing with a hamstring injury right now. Although all three of them are day-to-day according to Dennis Allen, this is opening up opportunities for some other guys to get reps with the starters.

Ron Bartell is currently dealing with a minor hamstring injury that caused him to sit out of today’s practice. DeMarcus Van Dyke got some looks on the starting defense today and was a standout player according to multiple sources who watched practice. Many have been speculating that he may beat out Bartell or Spencer for a spot as a starter. So far he is on the right track right, taking full advantage of having Bartell sidelined. Hopefully Bartell can come back soon and force some more competition for growth among the defensive backs.

One area of uncertainty for the Raiders is who will be starting at the tight end position. Brandon Myers is currently running with the starting O but many are speculating that Richard Gordon or David Ausberry will eventually take over the position. Richard Gordon, the blocking specialist of the group, went down today with a hip flexor injury. Although it is apparently minor, this will give Ausberry a chance to get more looks and possibly nab the starting spot from the group. He put on some serious size that will give him more leverage in the blocking game to add to his incredible receiving skills.

Raider fans all over have been hoping that the Raiders would add former U.T. standout, Cedric Benson, to their 53 man squad. Raiders personnel have admitted interest in Benson but have not made a move because they want to see how the squad will work out with McFadden, Jones and Goodson. In practice Tuesday, Mike Goodson went down with a hamstring injury. Although it was reported that it was only a tweaked hamstring, he was listed as day-to-day by Dennis Allen after practice. If Goodson continues to sit out practices with minor or major injuries, the Raiders will have to look elsewhere to find tough back up running back for the fragile Darren McFadden. There is already enough injury-plague in this squad and we need someone who can get through a game without a tweaked hammy.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Everyone and their mother love to talk about the Raider’s young, fast and exciting receivers. In between Carson Palmer interceptions these guys made some outstanding catches and made the man who got off of his couch midseason look pretty good at moments. Whether it was Heyward-Bey working on his breakout season, Denarius Moore earning his weekly time on Sportscenter or Jacoby Ford tearing up the turf, these guys looked excellent when they were given a chance. A group of receivers can’t win your team’s games, though, with a quarterback throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

Last year Carson Palmer threw 13 touchdowns and a disgusting 16 interceptions. This was the first time in his eight-year career where his interceptions outnumbered his touchdowns. Any rookie football analyst knows that this ratio is not going to win games for your team. In fact, without Jason Campbell leading the team to a winning record before checking out with an injury, I don’t think that Carson would’ve lead the Raiders to their 8-8 record.

Now, I’m not trying to hate on Carson right now. I think this man has one of the best arms in the league and before he came to the Raiders he was one of my absolute favorite quarterbacks to watch. Those deep balls he would throw to Chad Johnson remind me of the moments of brilliance in which he and Denarius Moore hooked up last season.

What Carson Palmer needs to water down those interceptions next season is a star running back. Now, I know that Michael Bush had a great season last year but he was just not a Darren McFadden type of threat. Bush did a great job as a backup while playing for Palmer but he wasn’t the type of player that defenses plan their schemes around. Having McFadden line up behind Palmer will take so much pressure off of the passing game that he will be able to get back to the passer that he once was.

Having McFadden tearing up the field next season will cause linebackers and safeties to bite on play action and open up major passing lanes downfield. Last year the Raiders didn’t have a healthy balance of run and pass that it takes to run an elite offense. Having one of the best halfbacks in the NFL lining up behind any quarterback will majorly improve his stat sheet. Let’s not forget how dirty that Darren McFadden screen pass can be!

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

New coaching staff, new management and new players will always bring change to any organization. There are no more “coach favorites” or Al Davis commands that are keeping positions locked down for any Raiders players this season. With training camp always comes position battles. Although there is always a battle for any position, I think it’s safe to say that some of the positions are much more concrete than others. For example, Carson Palmer and Tyvon Branch. When you’re paying guys this much money, the organization obviously views you as a starter unless there is injury, obviously. Other positions, however, are much less concrete (i.e. cornerback).

The Raiders signed Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer to have some veterans on their defense but these two guys have been middle of the road cornerbacks their whole career and are now in their early thirties. This is the perfect time for someone like Chimdi Chekwa to grab a starting spot over one of the two. Camp will be an exciting time for this position. Although the Raiders do not have the most talented group of corners, the thirst for a starting spot on this evolving defense will push every player to his limit and help the team grow.

Another position where there will be a lot of competition falls at a position with a lot of depth: wide receiver. Last year, Heyward-Bay finally came into his own and had his best season, living up to the potential that Al Davis saw in him. 5th round sleeper Denarius Moore shocked the NFL with multiple highlight reel-esque games. Jacoby Ford, although injured for a lot of the season, had some highlights during the season and has already proved himself in his rookie campaign. The Raiders also added wide outs Juron Criner and Rod Streater, both bigger, taller receivers that add some size to the speedy roster. Both of these young guys had outstanding spring OTA’s but keep in mind, OTA’s are designed to make receivers shine. With DHB possibly facing some suspension time from his DUI in the offseason it will be interesting to see who steps up in this position early on.

The remaining two positions that will have serious camp battles are right tackle and tight end. Khalif Barnes and Joseph Barksdale are both competing for the starting right tackle position. With an offensive line that is starting to turn heads after a decade of down years, the only weak position is at right tackle. Barnes has underperformed in the past and Barksdale has hasn’t really had a big chance to prove himself. Barnes has some experience in the zone block scheme so look for him to start early in the season, but don’t be surprised if Barksdale gets some serious looks and possibly takes over. At the tight end position it will be the battle of the receiving tight end versus the blocking tight end. Brandon Myers has the most experience (3 years) where Ausberry and Gordon are coming off of their rookie season. Ausberry, a converted receiver, shows a lot of promise in the passing game where Gordon shows potential as a blocking specialist. I think one of the two younger guys will steal the position from Myers, but it’s going to be whoever can learn their weakness the quickest.