The Oakland Raiders are in OTA workouts this week and heading into minicamp quarterback Derek Carr is going to miss time with a hand injury and that leaves Christian Ponder and Matt McGloin to split snaps and this comes as Latavius Murray and Trent Richardson are battling to start with Amari Cooper along with Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera.
Cooper comes in as the first round draft pick for the Raiders and he is ready to take over as the number one receiver. The team signed Michael Crabtree this offseason and Cooper already is the best WR on the roster for Carr. According to Pro Football Talk, CSN Bay Area reports that Carr likely will miss OTA workouts with a hand injury, although he likely will not need surgery. Carr dealt with some numbness and now could miss some time leading into camp this summer.
Jack Del Rio is taking over the team and while Carr's injury is not serious, any time missed with Carr will make it a bit tougher for the rookies to adjust later on. It shouldn't be a major issue, but with Carr coming into year two, all offseason work is valuable, especially with players like Cooper and Walford coming in. Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com reports that Carr has been able to take snaps, but that he has not yet been throwing in camp.
The report says that the team has "some hope" that Carr will be ready to throw during minicamp, which is mandatory and really kicks the offseason workouts into high gear before training camp. Carr was able to work out in practice this week and just stayed away from throwing and as long as he has not issues on the right ring finger that he injured, he should be ready for camps workouts. Last season Carr had a solid rookie run and went for 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with 3270 yards passing.
Cooper is coming in and will start right away, as he had a standout career at Alabama and looks like he can play in the NFL already. Cooper had 124 catches last season for 1727 yards and 16 touchdowns and he looked great in rookie camp. The Raiders have some competition in camp with Latavius Murray and Trent Richardson battling to start, while Mychal Rivera may get pushed a bit by Clive Walford, who the Raiders love as a tight end prospect.
ESPN reporter Bill Williamson writes that Murray may have a leg up since he has been with the Raiders for longer, but that Richardson can win it with a strong summer. Murray comes in after rushing 82 times for 424 yards and two touchdowns last season and he showed some flash in the game against the Chiefs. Richardson had two tough years with the Colts and he needs to prove that he can be an every down back again. NFL.com writes that Walford has been getting high praise from the Raiders and that while the team likes Rivera and will likely start him, Walford is going to get a long look in camp. Walford has strong hands and has above average blocking ability from the tight end position.
