The Oakland Raiders will once again enter the offseason rebuilding the team, but there is more hope and potential this time around. The Raiders have key young players that will help build the franchise in the right direction as Oakland enters the offseason with cap space and the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft. As they continue their search for a head coach following the firing of Dennis Allen, who will get to stick around to help build the Raiders back up and who gets released?
Maurice Jones-Drew is hopeful he is one of the players gets to help turn the Raiders the right direction. The running back signed to the team in free agency last year after a long tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars and earned a minimum contract. Jones-Drew did not exactly impress this season as the Raiders hoped a new environment would motivate the veteran. That failed as Jones-Drew put up just 96 yards while his yards per carry tumbled from 4.8 to 3.4.
"My body feels good and wish I played more," Jones-Drew said, via SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I want to stay in Oakland and turn this thing around."
Jones-Drew is set to earn $2.5 million next season with none of the money guaranteed. He is an easy release and it is safe to say the Raiders will make that move. Jones-Drew was a non-factor during the eyar along with Darren McFadden who has an expiring contract as well. The Raiders got nothing from re-signing two veterans and likely will not make that mistake twice. Instead, Latavius Murray has emerged as a candidate to build on after he rushed for 424 yards on the year. The team will certainly add one body to the running back rotation, but it will not be Jones-Drew or McFadden.
The wide receiving corps has some potential as well. Andre Holmes and James Jones emerged as two top pass catchers while players like Denarius Moore, Rod Streater and Kenbrell Thompkins made no impact. They will return along with tight end Mychal Rivera who came up big in the second-half of the season as a reliable threat for Derek Carr. ESPN's Mock Draft has the Raiders selecting Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper in the first round which could be the final piece to their offensive puzzle.