Oakland Raiders: 5 biggest preseason takeaways

The move to Todd Downing as offensive coordinator looks to be a good one

Opting to part ways with former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave in favor of Carr’s quarterbacks coach Todd Downing looks to be the right move. The offense is more free-flowing and the players seem to love the creativity that will inevitably come with playing it it.

Being able to allow some degree of improvisation should help Carr take his game to the next level. He plays the position with a bit of the Aaron Rodgers jazz musician flair. Carr may not be as mobile as Rodgers, but his ability to throw on the run and make plays outside of the pocket only makes the Raiders’ offense more formidable.

Though Oakland didn’t target the tight ends very often on Thursday night against Seattle, expect that position group to be bigger factors in the receiving game this year. Clive Walford, Lee Smith and Jared Cook all had at least one great game in the preseason as pass-catching tight ends. The more production Oakland can get out of them during the regular season, the better.

Obviously, Downing didn’t reveal any of the major wrinkles of his offense during the preseason, but Raider Nation has to be intrigued by what they saw out of it this summer. If this offense gives Carr even more confidence to go out and win games, then that’s exactly why the Raiders made the move. It seems that many of the offensive players are enjoying playing in it as well.