Five things the Oakland Raiders must address after the bye

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes (18) celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Find a Reliable No. 3 Receiver

While Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper have both been relatively productive through five weeks, Oakland must be able to rely on other receivers down the depth chart to make plays from the slot position.

In back-to-back weeks now the Raiders have not had a receiver behind Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree catch a pass.

Given that Oakland has also not seen quality production from their tight ends, it’s becoming more of a necessity for their offense to find other weapons outside their top two receivers.

An option that was played out in Week 5 against Denver was fullback Marcel Reece, as he brought in a team-high seven receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown. Though he has often been targeted coming out of the backfield, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave also had him running on the outside against the Broncos.

Reece in a receiver role is a path Oakland could take, but they still should push towards having an alternative emerge from what was believed to be a deep wide receiver group.

Second-year receiver Seth Roberts was believed to be a difference maker as the team’s No. 3 receiver at the beginning of the season, but the former West Alabama star has failed to live up to expectations. Though he has brought in two touchdowns in five games, Roberts is still struggling with drops and could easily be accredited a majority a good chunk of the blame for Oakland’s loss against Denver.

On the interception that ultimately led to Oakland’s defeat in Week 5, Roberts was apparently the “hot” receiver if Denver were to come with the blitz. The Broncos ended up bringing some extra guys to put pressure on Derek Carr, but Roberts failed to get his head around early enough in his route to make a play on the ball. Though Carr’s pass was a bit inaccurate, Roberts still is at fault due to his inability to adjust to Denver’s blitz.

Andre Holmes is another receiver that isn’t quite getting things done for Oakland, as he has struggled to get open outside of the red zone. Holmes has just four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.

As for a possible answer to Oakland’s dilemma, former Temple receiver Rod Streater could start to see some action after the bye week. After having just one reception for eight yards in Week 1, Streater has been a healthy scratch for Oakland’s previous four games. Though Streater might not have the ability he had before his injury in 2014, it wouldn’t hurt for Oakland to award him an opportunity given the production they have had from Roberts and Holmes.

Expect Oakland to reevaluate the talent they have at the position over the bye week, and in turn, look for Musgrave to involve some new faces behind Cooper and Crabtree.

Next: Get Healthy