Since the Oakland Raiders decided to go in another direction with their coaching staff by bringing on a new head coach in Jon Gruden, the front office has been quite active in restructuring the roster. The team has made a few moves involving the addition of a couple proven players to the mix.
This saw the likes of former Pro Bowlers wide receiver Jordy Nelson and running back Doug Martin both decide to join the Raiders on short-term deals. However, not everyone is on board with these recent free agent acquisitions as Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson voiced on his appearance on FS1's “Undisputed” that he doesn't believe the moves have helped improved the team.
"I don't want to sound like a scorned lover because I was fired by the Raiders, but you can't tell me Jordy Nelson is better than @KingCrab15. That's a lie, and I love Derek Carr, [but] Derek Carr is not Aaron Rodgers." — @RodWoodson26 pic.twitter.com/RHHSXut8Ll
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 21, 2018
At this point, it's hard for Woodson to see these moves being upgrades given the type of disappointing seasons that both Nelson and Martin had last year. Martin is coming off arguably the worst season of his career that saw him post a career-low 406 rushing yards while tying a career-worst 2.9 yards per carry in 11 games played. This included recording more than 70 rushing yards twice while falling short of double-digit rushing yard totals three times.
Meanwhile, Nelson is coming off a season where he experienced a significant dip in production with just 53 catches for 482 receiving yards and six touchdowns. This marked the lowest amount of receptions and receiving yards since the 2010 season. What should be kept in mind is that most of the season saw All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers miss a large chunk of the year due to a broken collarbone.
Woodson may have a valid point that Derek Carr isn't Rodgers, but he is still a highly talented quarterback that could help Nelson recapture the form that saw him finish with at least 85 catches and 1,200 receiving yards and eight touchdown reception in three consecutive seasons prior to 2017. Crabtree may be a few years younger, the 32-year-old could excel in a prominent role as one of Carr's primary targets in the passing game.
Ultimately, it is too early to assess whether these moves will work out for the betterment of the Raiders. Only time will tell if that will or won't be the case.
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