The Oakland Raiders will have the same coach next season after owner Mark Davis decided to keep Dennis Allen and now the team has a number of big personnel questions, as players like Darren McFadden, Rashad Jennings, Lamarr Houston, Jacoby Ford, Charles Woodson and Tracy Porter all are set to be free agents in 2014 and the team must decide who to keep and who to let go of.
The Raiders are coming into the offseason after a two year project that dismantled the roster of big-money contracts and dead dollars and now they are set with around $60 million estimated cap space to work with. The team has the number five pick in the draft and with the new salary structure, they should be in good position to be players in free agency and that will be determined by who they sign and let go from their own roster.
Darren McFadden is the most notable free agent coming off the roster and the Raiders have a big decision to make when it comes to re-signing him or not, as McFadden has been banged up every season he has played in the NFL and while he has explosive speed, the Raiders may not want to shell out all that money for him. Rashad Jennings emerged as a solid option to start next season, but he too is a free agent and the Raiders may decide on looking to free agency or the draft to get replacements, as they have Marcel Reece and Latavius Murray, who did not factor in as a rookie.
Some of the other players that are on the bubble and are free agents include important names like Jared Veldheer, Khalif Barnes and Andre Gurode on the offensive line as well as Jacoby Ford and Lamarr Houston, who is being looked at as the top priority after the way he has played for the team. The offensive line was a bit of a mess last season and keeping some consistency will help going forward and the team will also have to deal with the secondary in Charles Woodson, Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter.
McFadden comes into the offseason after another year of being injured and while the Raiders love what he brings to the offense, they simply will not shell out top dollar for him if he can't stay healthy. Maurice Jones-Drew could be a cheaper option for the team and McFadden comes out after playing in 10 games this season and rushing for just 379 yards, a low for him since back in 2009 and he has just one 1,000 yard season in his career from 2010, rushing for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. Jennings stepped up big this season and rushed for 733 yards and now he could cash in during the offseason as a free agent as well.
