The Raiders have signed safety Greg Wesley.  Wesley is now 30 years old but he’s a big safety at 6′2″, 206 pounds.  Wesley played in 15 games for the Chiefs last season and he made 30 tackles, forced 1 fumble and he defensed 3 passes.  Look for Wesley to get a lot of work on special teams and he will also back up at safety.  Wesley has now played in 118 games in his NFL career and he has made 510 tackles, has 6 sacks, 29 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles and he has defensed 59 passes.  Wesley looks like a player on the downside of his career but this still was a good gamble if he has anything left.

The Raiders have decent fullbacks that add a little spice to the offense.  Veteran Justin Griffith will likely be the starter at fullback despite blocking not being the best part of his game.  That’s because he is  6′0″, 230 pounds, but, he’s a good runner and receiver which gives the Raiders options when he’s in the game.  Griffith played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Raiders last season and he carried the ball 7 times for 27 yards (3.9 ypc).  He also caught 26 passes for 165 yards (6.3 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Look for Griffith to possibly be even more involved in the offense especially in the passing game in 2008.  Griffith has now played in 79 games (59 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 88 times for 405 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 113 passes for 786 yards (7.0 avg) with 10 TD grabs in his career.

Oren O’Neal is the classic punch you in the face running back.  He is 5′11″, 245 pounds and he’s a load blocking in the running game.  O’Neal played in 14 games (1 start) for the Raiders last season and he caught 1 pass for 1 yard.  Look for the Raiders to toss him a bone once in a while by giving him the football a few times for good blocking.

6′2″, 255 pound Tony Jackson is the #3 fullback on the depth chart heading into the 2008 season.  He will have a hard time moving up the depth chart without injuries happening to a player above him.  Jackson has no experiece to this point in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B