Special Teams
The Raiders found an absolute gem at the kicker position last season, though they had to go through a few people to get him. Daniel Carlson was an early round pick of the Minnesota Vikings during the 2018 NFL Draft, but was released from the team early in the season after missing a bunch of field goals.
Once he put on the Silver and Black, he became automatic at the kicker position, giving the Raiders their best option at the position since Sebastian Janikowski. While the team needs help at punter, as Johnny Townsend struggled as a rookie last season, their special teams group could be special in 2019.
Here is what the specialists look like heading into the first preseason workouts.
- K- Daniel Carlson
- P- Johnny Townsend
- LS- Andrew DePaola
- Ret- Dwayne Harris, Nick Nelson
While this is just a first run at the presumed starters, the most exciting part about putting this together was the amount of depth this team now has. There are at least ten players who could sneak their way into the starting lineup before Week 1, making this offseason an exciting one for the Silver and Black.
Jon Gruden is going to have his work cut out for him this summer, as the team also added some incredibly talented players as undrafted free agents this weekend as well. One thing is for sure, this Oakland team is going to be much better than the 2018 version, and could surprise people in 2019.