The Oakland Raiders are heading into the 2013 season with expectations of improvement after general manager Reggie McKenzie made a number of solid moves in free agency and in the draft and the first chance head coach Dennis Allen will get to see those players in action this summer is on July 25 when training camp begins.
The Raiders will be stationed in Napa Valley for their training camp starting on July 25 and the team still has a number of questions up and down the roster, including who will be the third and fourth receivers behind Denaruis Moore and Rod Streater and whether first round pick D.J. Hayden will be healthy after having surgery. McKenzie inherited the team when it was full of bad contracts and after ditching former top-10 picks Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey this offseason, the team is shifting out of the Al Davis era and into new territory. There was a bit of a flap when owner Mark Davis fired PR director Zak Gilbert after a disparaging Sports Illustrated article since he was a McKenzie hire, but he later said that the general manager had nothing to worry about.
The team will be working on a new running scheme during training camp and if offensive coordinator Greg Olson can get the group in shape, running back Darren McFadden should be primed for a big season. The former Arkansas star has been injury prone throughout his career and he has yet to play more than 13 games in any season, although he led the team in rushing last year despite dealing with injuries again. McFadden played in just 12 games last season and has missed 13 games over the past two years while rushing for just six touchdowns.
McFadden's best season came in 2010 when he played in 13 games and rushed for over 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns and he also added 47 receptions for 507 yards. The Raiders are hoping for that type of year again from McFadden, who is entering the final year of his contract and if he can't stay on the field, McKenzie will likely let him go. Injuries put the Raiders in the bottom part of the league in rushing last season and Allen will be pushing for more consistency now that Matt Flynn is the quarterback.
Flynn was one of many new players brought to the roster by McKenzie, including draft pick Tyler Wilson, who many think can compete for the starting job. Allen likely will give Flynn the inside track and he joins names like Charles Woodson, Mike Jenkins, Kevin Burnett, Tracy Porter and DJ Hayden as new names on the roster. Rookies like Nick Kasa, Latavius Murray and Brice Butler will get the chance to prove themselves in training camp to push for playing time during the season.
