The Oakland Raiders have been one of the more interesting teams in the NFL during the offseason and after trading for quarterback Matt Flynn from the Seattle Seahawks, the team is trying to rework its offense and that means receivers Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore could put up some big numbers in 2013.
The Raiders had a solid passing attack with Carson Palmer last season, but since the team was mostly coming from behind all year, their ranking at ninth in passing yards per game was a bit skewed and now the offense is expected to be more balanced as offensive coordinator Greg Olson implements a power scheme. Head coach Dennis Allen is hoping to be more consistent on offense and the Raiders went on that side of the ball in the draft, taking wide receiver Brice Butler out of San Diego State in the seventh round along with tight end Nick Kasa and running back Latavius Murray earlier.
Flynn is likely to be the starter over options of Terrelle Pryor and Tyler Wilson and it will be his first time starting games on a consistent basis in his career and he will need weapons to help him along the way. The Raiders lost their top receiver in free agency after tight end Brandon Myers left for the Giants and the team is hoping Kasa can make up for some of that production. Myers had 79 catches for over 800 yards and had a good relationship with Carson Palmer, but he now will catch passes from Eli Manning. Butler could end up having a breakout year in the offense after the Raiders selected him in the draft and Moore is now stepping into the number one role after the team decided to cut former first round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey in the offseason.
The Raiders are in line to be one of the teams that can improve from under .500 after going 4-12 last season since general manager Reggie McKenzie did a solid job of adding talent to the roster. The team had a tough financial situation to deal with and even with that he was able to trade for Flynn while signing Charles Woodson, Nick Roach, Kevin Burnett, Tracy Porter, Mike Jenkins, as well as Josh Cribbs. Butler has been impressive in workouts heading into the summer and he will get a long look as the slot option or even as the second option if Ford deals with injuries again.
Moore could also end up being a huge beneficiary of the new offense and of Flynn, as Palmer checked down to Myers a lot and he could be in line for a boost in numbers. Last season he started 15 games and made 51 catches for 714 yards one season before making 33 catches for 618 yards and five touchdowns. He scored six touchdowns over a nine week stretch last season and although he has had some issues with drops in the past, the Raiders feel that he is ready to breakout. Moore led the team with seven touchdowns catches last season and he could turn that into some big numbers in the offense in 2013.