The Raiders have brought in veteran Jeff Garcia to push JaMarcus Russell for the starting job in 2009.  Russell has all of the tools to be a great QB as he has nice size, good mobility and a strong throwing arm.  But, he makes a ton of mistakes and that’s where Garcia comes in.  Garcia doesn’t have a great arm but it’s good enough.  He also has great mobility and he’s a good team leader.  Based on how he played when he was healthy last season for the Bucs it appears that Garcia might still be a decent NFL starting QB in 2009.  He does have problems with durability however based on his style of play and age.  Andrew Walter probably has the edge for the #3 QB job heading into camp as he has been a Raider for a while.  But, he was on some pretty bad Raiders’ teams early in his career and he could be punch drunk right now.  Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye are similar in style as they both have weak arms and good mobility.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  C-

30-year old left footed Sebastian Janikowski has great leg strength as he can nail a 60-yarder on occasion but the Raiders need him to be more accurate as he sometimes is off target leaving points on the field.  Janikowski played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he made 23 of 32 (71.9%) field goals.  He also converted all 28 of his extra point attempts last season.  Janikowski has had issues his whole career with accuracy.  He has played in 125 games in his NFL career and he has made 179 of 233 field goal attempts (76.8%).  He has also made 271 of 273 extra points (99.3%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

The Raiders would be smart to look at the TE more in the passing game in 2008 with JaMarcus Russell learning on the fly.  22-year Zach Miller proved to be a very solid receiver as a rookie in 2007 and he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.  Miller played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 44 passes for 444 yards (10.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Miller will definately have better stats in 2008 for the Raiders.

25-year old John Madsen will be the backup TE this season for the Raiders.  He played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 8 passes for 102 yards (12.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Madsen might get a few token receptions in 2008 but don’t expect too much from him.  Madsen has now played in 31 games in his NFL career and he has caught 19 passes for 248 yards (13.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs. 

28-year old Tony Stewart will be the #3 TE for the Raiders this season.  He didn’t play last season due to injury.  He is more of a run blocking TE as he is a big guy at 6′5″, 260 pounds.  Stewart has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 55 passes for 464 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

The Raiders needed a facelift at WR and they have done that bringing in Javon Walker and Drew Carter as free agents.  Javon Walker almost retired after his assault in Las Vegas but Al Davis and company talked him into playing this season.  If healthy and focused, Walker will be the #1 WR on the Raiders.  Walker played in 8 games for the Broncos last season and he caught 26 passes for 287 yards (11.0 avg) without a TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for -3 yards (-1.5 ypc) last season.  The thought here is that Walker will be a good fit for the Raiders as JaMarcus Russell has the arm to hit Walker if he gets behind the defense and he should be able to if healthy.  Walker has now played in 72 games in his NFL career and he has caught 252 passes for 3,815 yards (15.1 avg) with 30 TD grabs.  Walker has also carried the ball 14 times for 132 yards (9.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.

29-year old Ronald Curry had a breakout season for the Raiders last year and he is a very solid #2 WR.  He played in 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 55 passes for 717 yards (13.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Curry to top those numbers in 2008 for the Raiders as he has the speed to get deep.  Curry has now played in 62 games in his NFL career and he has caught 174 passes for 2,166 yards (12.4 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 2 yards (0.5 ypc) in his NFL career.

26-year old Drew Carter is a speedster who was a tad underrated for the Panthers.  He will be the #3 WR for the Raiders this season and he should get a lot of action.  Carter played in 16 games for the Panthers last season and he caught 38 passes for 517 yards (13.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Carter to at least match his numbers from 2007 with the Panthers in 2008 with the Raiders.  Carter has now played in 33 games in his NFL career and he has caught 71 passes for 977 yards (13.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards (9.0 ypc) in his career.

Johnnie Lee Higgins has great deep speed but he will need to start to show it on Gameday if he’s going to be anything more than a special teams player in the NFL.  Higgins played in all 16 games as a rookie with the Raiders last season and he caught 6 passes for 47 yards (7.8 avg).  He also carried the ball 2 times for 3 yards (1.5 ypc) last season.

Rookie Arman Shields could move up the depth chart with a good training camp.  He caught 160 passes for 1,930 yards (12.1 avg) with 13 TD grabs in his career at Richmond. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

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