The Oakland Raiders roster for 2014 has a number of new starters and some predictions for the season has a Terrelle Pryor trade going down at some point after the Matt Schaub deal was completed, while Justin Tuck, James Jones, LaMarr Woodley and Tarell Brown coming into major roles and Darren McFadden is expected to be the feature back.
Dennis Allen and Reggie McKenzie have a big decision to make with Pryor, as the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles could be landing spots and this comes after ESPN.com reported that the QB asked for a trade or his release. The report says that Pryor has been frustrated with the Raiders and how they have used and developed him and now that the Matt Schaub trade went down, he would like his release or a trade. The team is willing to look at deals as long as they get something decent in return and the trade for Schaub comes a year after the team traded for Matt Flynn and while that did not work out as planned, Allen has said that he is comfortable with Schaub taking over at QB.
Last season was a nightmare for Schaub and now he comes in looking to reignite his career and while many have lambasted the Raiders over the past two years, a change of scenery could be perfect for him and 2014 could be the start of a turnaround. The team had tons of cap space and while they didn't make any huge splashes, they added solid veterans on Tuck, Woodley and Jones and those three players could have a huge impact on both sides of the ball. Kevin Boothe and Austin Howard add to the offensive line and Mychal Rivera is expected to have a much bigger role this season as tight end.
Schaub has done a good job in the past at getting the TE position involved and that could mean a breakout year for Rivera, while Jones is a steady receiver that doesn't drop passes and he could be the rock of the offense this season. Pryor showed some great flashes last season while starting for the Raiders along with Matt McGloin, but he made too many mistakes and he never fully took over as starter in Allen's eyes. Pryor and his agent Drew Rosenhaus are hoping to get out of Oakland and there are a number of teams that could look at him as an option, including the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.
Last season Pryor was an early league leader in rushing and while he showed some great explosiveness as a runner, he still has some development to deal with as a passer. According to the article, Reggie McKenzie said that no one has talked to him about a trade and while many fans have taken to Pryor, he was not drafted by this regime and now they could look to move on after Schaub was named the starter. Pryor had 576 yards on the ground last season to go along with 1,800 passing yards and seven touchdowns, but he also had 11 picks and completed less than 60 percent of his passes. The Raiders have made a number of improvements and now they are looking to finish better than the 4-12 they have been the past two years.
