John Mottashed from California asks:
"With the new addition of Davante Adams and a diverse back field with Jacobs and Drake, what role with Hunter Renfrow play? Is he still a slot receiver?"
Hunter Renfrow's role as "The Slot Machine" is definitely not in jeopardy.
With everything you've mentioned John, Renfrow is actually in a place to potentially elevate his game this season. Putting him next to Davante Adams and Darren Waller will give him ample one-on-one opportunities to do his thing in the slot. Josh McDaniels' system has historically been kind to slot receivers as well – look at Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, to name a few examples.
Another great thing about the pieces around Renfrow is that they're versatile as well, with Adams, Waller and Kenyan Drake all having the abilities to line up anywhere on the field. Therefore, Renfrow could even see more snaps as an wideout to go along with his slot receiver duties.
My overall observation: I'm not worried about Renfrow's role in this offense. McDaniels will find something for him, especially after locking him down for a few more years in Las Vegas with a contract extension this offseason.
Robert Griffin from California asks:
"What's happened with Denzelle Good?"
While Denzelle Good has been seen working off to the side of the field during OTAs and minicamp, it is still unknown if or when he'll be ready to ramp things up. It's always a positive sign seeing him moving around though. He recently addressed fans on his personal Twitter account, saying that rehab has been going great and he's excited to get back in the trenches soon.
Good tore his ACL in the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens last year and missed the rest of the 2021 season. He started 14 games at left guard in 2020.
Curtis Cooper from Hawaii asks:
"With two outstanding edge rushers, can we get enough QB pressure to then use a 3-4 defense?"
First, I wouldn't be so quick to slap a 3-4 label on this defense. Patrick Graham has proven to be one of the smartest defensive coordinators in the NFL today, and I doubt that he'll solely be using a 3-4 defense.
But to answer the question, the Raiders are certainly cooking up something on their defensive front. A plethora of additions have been made to the defensive front, as 11 new defensive linemen were signed or drafted this offseason. It's obvious that the Raiders' coaching staff and front office want a lot of competition at the position this Training Camp.
Out of the new additions, they did snag some interior defensive linemen who have experience getting after the quarterback. Bilal Nichols racked up eight sacks in the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears and 2022 draft selections Matthew Butler and Neil Farrell Jr. combined for seven sacks last season.
While Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones are proven commodity edge rushers, it will be exciting to see who sets themselves apart in between the two.
