The Oakland Raiders added some depth for Derek Carr on offense this offseason, as players like Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Clive Walford, Trent Richardson and Roy Helu should give the team a chance to improve on that side of the ball and in the draft the team may have gotten a new starter on defense, as Mario Edwards could be a force alongside Khalil Mack.
The Raiders took Cooper with their first round pick this year and that move was praised by many around the league. The Raiders have had a major void at wide receiver over the past few years and Cooper is looked at as a player with number one starter talent. The team added Michael Crabtree in free agency and drafted Andre Debose and now they have a nice crew getting together with Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, Kenbrell Thompkins and Brice Butler.
Adding Cooper to the top of that group makes it much stronger and the team actually now has some depth at the position for Carr. According to Pro Football Talk, Cooper has already signed his contract and that means he will be ready for offseason workouts with the Raiders. The report has the deal at $22.6 million with a $14.7 million signing bonus and it will be for four years, which is standard for rookie deals now. Cooper should take over as the number one receiver on the depth chart with his talent.
The Raiders are also very high on second round pick Mario Edwards from Florida State. Reggie McKenzie said that the team did not expect him to be available when they picked in the second round and that he could be a starter along with Khalil Mack this season. Edwards should be able to give the team a more consistent pass rush after that was an issue last season.
Cooper is coming off of a monster year with Alabama, making 124 catches for 1727 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Crabtree should be slotted in as the number two or three wideout and that is a solid move for the Raiders. Crabtree has been up and down in his career with the 49ers, but he put up solid numbers in 2014 after coming back from an injury, going for 68 catches for 698 yards and four touchdowns. The Raiders are hoping that Cooper and Crabtree will give Carr the chance to develop in the right direction.
The Raiders are very confident in Carr and that is why they did not go after a quarterback in the draft. The team has Christian Ponder as a backup, but Carr is the clear starter and he comes in after putting up solid numbers as a rookie. Carr passed for 3270 yards and 21 touchdowns in 16 games and now he needs to work on his accuracy, as he was at 58 percent for his completion rate last year.
The team also added some running backs this offseason for depth behind Latavius Murray with Richardson and Helu and Richardson could get the chance to start. According to Bill Williamson at ESPN, Richardson will get a look in training camp from the Raiders and he could push Murray to start in 2105 after two bad years with the Colts. Clive Walford was taken in the draft and he should be a safety net with Mychal Rivera for Carr.
