Oakland Raiders 2015 Preseason Primer

Aug 2, 2015; Napa, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back George Atkinson III (34) at training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After a long and gruelling offseason in which more time was spent on national media talking about Johnny Manziel’s trip to rehab than the moves made by the Raider’s organization, it is finally time to lay out what it is that Raider Nation is looking at. The offseason started off as a big disappointment for many. The Raiders missed out on Suh, all of the big skill position players, and never addressed the cornerback position. Of course if you spent any time reading my columns you would not be as stunned as most fans.

The acquisitions made by the Oakland Raiders this offseason were either for a very solid under-appreciated player or someone on such a team friendly contract that the money spent was mostly irrelevant. Teams like the Jaguars got all sorts of publicity for spending big on Julius Thomas (something I thought was a legitimate possibility for the Raiders), and the Eagles are in many estimations, running out the best duo of running backs in the NFL (Murray was a target of the Raiders).

Although the Raiders failed to sign names they wanted such as Suh, they did a very good job adding solid talent to positions of need. By the time camps started we could see the plan start to come into focus and finally after three long years, it seems as if Reggie McKenzie actually has something going on. I am not the oldest Raiders fan and all of my formative football years have been spent watching some putrid Raider teams, and this is the first time I can remember when the biggest hype for the Raiders is surrounding young drafted players, not high priced veterans

As is customary for my “primer” columns, I am going to go through each position group and hit the names and expectations for each group as we enter the 2015 Preseason.

Next: Preseason Primer: Quarterbacks