Oakland Raiders Players Set For Big 2015 Seasons

Sep 7, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) runs the ball past Oakland Raiders safety Tyvon Branch (33) during the second quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Tyvon Branch

Tyvon Branch is a very valuable part of the Raiders defense and he needs to be in there for the team. He averaged 103 tackles, had interceptions and was in man-to-man coverage from 2009-2012. Then suddenly, Branch gets two season-ending injuries in back-to-back years and he plays in only five games in that span.

I don’t predict injuries for anyone on any team so I’ll say that Branch will play and play well this season. He and Woodson will finally realize their dream and play together a full season for the first time since they’ve been teammates. The Raiders haven’t been very good on defense in recent years but with Del Rio in Raider Nation, that stops now.

And it’s going to help that Woodson and Branch are at the safeties making plays. Having Branch around makes the Raiders a more physical team in the secondary too. But the big thing is it adds a player that plays 250 snaps or more and a good one at that.

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