The Oakland Raiders have been one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL during the 2013 offseason and despite having another losing season last year, the team is ready to improve and after bringing in a number of new players like Matt Flynn, Charles Woodson, D.J. Hayden and Nick Roach, coach Dennis Allen likes his chances.
The Raiders brought in general manager Reggie McKenzie from the Green Bay Packers to help the team get out of a tough financial situation and so far he has been able to do that while also adding a number of talented players to the roster. McKenzie also made a number of tough moves by letting go of former first round picks Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey and now the team has some more room to make moves down the line.
McKenzie was great while overhauling the secondary and now the defense has names like Woodson, Tracy Porter, Mike Jenkins, Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett and should be an improvement over last season. During OTA workouts Allen worked a lot on the defense and he hopes that the Raiders can be more like the defense was when Al Davis was still alive. The team showed a commitment to remaking the secondary by adding the veterans and drafting D.J. Hayden with the number 12 pick after trading down and he is expected to be back in time for the start of the season after having surgery.
Woodson is expected to have a decent role with the team despite his age and Allen knows how to handle a secondary, as he was the coach for the Saints and he had some of the best cover corners in the league at the time. The team will play more man to man this season than zone and that could make for some big improvements on defense. The offense is ready to improve as well as after trading for quarterback Matt Flynn and drafting Tyler Wilson, while rookies Brice Butler and Latavis Murray are also expected to contribute.
Flynn has the inside edge over Wilson and Terrelle Pryor after being acquired and he will get the chance to start finally after signing with Seattle before last season and being beaten out by Russell Wilson. Denarius Moore, Rod Streater and Jacoby Ford give Flynn weapons and tight end Nick Kasa is expected to make up for the loss of Brandon Myers in free agency. Josh Cribbs will help in the return game and the addition of Woodson will be key for the secondary.
