At the start of training camp, the Oakland Raiders coaching staff was raving about the progress of Juron Criner. The wide receiver was on a group that did not feature a true No. 1 threat, so the opportunity was there to move up the depth chart and make a difference. The Raiders are in desperate need of offensive threats this season and head coach Dennis Allen was hopeful Criner would be one. However, that failed to happen and now with Criner off the roster, who steps up?
Criner's career with the Raiders was overshadowed with injuries. The wide receiver suffered a season-ending injury last year and was quickly hit with a hamstring issue in the second week of training camp. He did not see past the first set of roster cuts. According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, Greg Little risks getting cut next if he does not start making an impact on the field as well. Little was sitting out of practice as well with a hamstring issue, but returned a week ago to begin practicing. So far, Little's time on the field has been relatively quiet and he needs to step up in order to make the 53-man roster.
Despite numerous offseason trade rumors, the futures of Andre Holmes, Denarius Moore and Rod Streater seem to be safe for the season at least. All three receivers return from last year and their familiarity with the offense is needed given the struggle at quarterback right now. They team-up with James Jones who will likely round out the grouping after signing in the offseason. Will that be enough for the Raiders this season?
Offensive coordinator Greg Olson feels good about where Oakland is offensively despite the injury to Matt Schaub. Brice Butler and Mychal Rivera have been leading the receiving charge in the preseason while Marcel Reece's versatility has been helping in both the receiving and rushing game.
The Raiders appear more confident in the receiving corps with each week of practice in training camp, but much of their success will be dictated off of the quarterback play. Schaub is currently dealing with tendonitis in his throwing elbow which has put his arm strength into question. Allen continues to stress that Schaub is the team's starting quarterback no matter what, but there is a case building for rookie Derek Carr or Matt McGloin as Week 1 draws closer.
