![]() John Brown gets the Nelson Agholor role if Ruggs falters or is injured. With something resembling an offseason, in theory becomes a week-to-week threat instead of flashing occasional brilliance. They didn’t draft him a year ago at No 12 overall for nothing. Ingold even took over for the late Willie Brown at the draft, urging everyone to remember their moms on Mothers Day. The depth here is full of question marks, so the Raiders are all in on the two young guys.Good for cut-blocks, special teams and a better receiver than you think. Again: the hope is that Bradley’s simplicity unlocks Abram, while Moehrig’s ability in pass coverage covers up a hole in the back that the Raiders have long needed to cover. The Raiders are starting two first-round picks at safety - one a rookie and one who has been a disappointment across his first two seasons. S: Tre’Von Moehrig, Jonathan Abram Backups: Roderic Teamer, Tyree Gillespie, Dallin Leavitt Arnette will be given every opportunity to win back his job this season - and I think he’s going to prove his doubters wrong in a big way. The other big storyline here is Arnette having given up his starting spot to Hayward, who came over with Bradley from the Chargers. Will that continue once he’s up against starters and elite quarterbacks? We’ll see. Hobbs has been a revelation this spring, as the fifth-round pick has flashed every time he has seen the field. When the Raiders go to a three-corner set, Hobbs figures to get the start in the slot - at least while Nevin Lawson serves his one-game suspension. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports CB: Trayvon Mullen Jr., Casey Hayward Backups: Nate Hobbs, Damon Arnette, Amik Robertson (29) during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. Littleton came in with a lot of hype a couple of years ago but struggled in his first season - the hope is that a simplified scheme will unlock the potential the Raiders saw when they handed him a three-year, $36 million deal last off-season. Wright was a last-minute addition this preseason but immediately stepped in as one of the three best players on the defense as a whole. Most of the time, you’ll see just two linebackers on the field (probably Wright and Littleton), but this is yet another solid group of players for a Raiders defense that has rarely been able to say that. LB: KJ Wright, Denzel Perryman/Nick Kwiatkoski, Cory Littleton Backups: Divine Deablo Overall, this might be the most improved unit on the roster from last season - especially when it comes to rushing the passer. There were many games last season where I felt like Hankins was the best defensive player the Raiders had - especially at disrupting opponents’ rushing attacks - making his return on a one-year deal huge for Bradley and the defense. Jefferson, Thomas and McCoy are listed as co-starters on the depth chart, but my guess is Jefferson gets the start inside alongside the nose tackle Hankins. DT: Jonathan Hankins, Quinton Jefferson/Solomon Thomas/Gerald McCoy Backup: Darius Philon Koonce was a third-round pick this spring out of Buffalo. Beyond the starters, there is depth here as well - with both Nassib and Ferrell offering upside as situational rushers and run defense specialists. The success of this defense will be determined by this position group - and whether Ngakoue and Crosby can make quarterbacks uncomfortable off of the edge. ![]() Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports DE: Yannick Ngakoue, Maxx Crosby Backups: Carl Nassib, Clelin Ferrell, Malcolm Koonce With all the money and draft capital invested in this group, the good news for Raiders fans is that it might actually happen this season… Thousand Oaks, CA, USA Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) react during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. The truth is, the Raiders don’t need this group to be a top 10 defense this season - as the hope is simply that they’re competitive enough to finish somewhere around the top 20. The word you keep hearing used about Bradley’s approach is “simplicity,” which is good considering it’s the exact opposite of former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s approach. ![]() In four years with the Chargers, they never ranked outside the top 15 in yards allowed - with three top-10 finishes across his tenure. That’s where new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley comes in. 500 records of late, the defense has been an anchor preventing them from seriously competing. While the offense has carried the team to nearly. 2006 was the last time the Raiders had a defense ranked better than 20th in points allowed (they were 30th last season), and on the yardage side, they haven’t been much better. ![]()
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