Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals: 3 things we learned

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – AUGUST 15: Wide receiver Ryan Grant #19 of the Oakland Raiders dives into the end zone to score a 13 yard touchdown past cornerback Byron Murphy #33 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the NFL preseason game at State Farm Stadium on August 15, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Improved team speed

One of the bigger takeaways I got from watching this team on Thursday night was just how much faster they are compared to last season. In 2018, the Raiders would be dominated on both sides of the ball for much of the game, and that was mostly due to a lack of talent, but also speed.

Watching the 2019 version of the Raiders, it is clear that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden made a concerted effort to bring in more speed on both sides of the ball. The linebackers and secondary are much faster, showing the ability to close on plays, and Arden Key and Clelin Ferrell are extremely athletic off the edge.

On offense, the wide receiver group is going to be very special, and they were dominating the Cardinals first-team secondary without elite star Antonio Brown. It was clear that the Raiders were the better team on Thursday night, and for a Cardinals team predicated on speed, it was the Silver and Black who looked a tick faster on every play.

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