Derek Carr leads new-look Raiders offense into training camp

NAPA, Calif. — A trend surfaced last year, one the Raiders would rather not see continue but enter training camp this week with an understanding it could.

To score modestly was to lose.

The Raiders went 0-10 when scoring 20 points or fewer. In their four wins, they averaged 29.8 points, but three of those victories still were decided by a total of eight points. No NFL club allowed more scoring on average than the Raiders’ 29.2 points per game.

In a new year, quarterback Derek Carr is better equipped should old problems persist.

Veterans report to camp Friday, joining rookies and select veterans who arrived Tuesday. Coach Jon Gruden and the organization have stocked this roster like a college fraternity refrigerator, the offense deep with protein and beer and the defense short on ripe vegetables. The imbalance could hinge the season on Carr guiding shootouts in 2019.

As in years past, the Raiders have invested more heavily on offense than defense.

Although exact figures vary, salary cap websites Spotrac and Overthecap.com rank the Raiders as making the NFL’s fifth-highest cap investment on offense for 2019 and fifth-lowest on defense. The offseason additions of wide receiver Antonio Brown, wide receiver Tyrell Williams and right tackle Trent Brown helped sculpt the landscape.

On defense, there is less experience and more rookie contracts.

To pressure the quarterback in 2019, the Raiders largely are reliant on first- and second-year rushers. They drafted three defensive ends in April — Clelin Ferrell in the first round, Maxx Crosby in the fourth and Quinton Bell in the seventh. Last year, they added defensive tackle P.J. Hall in the second, end Arden Key in the third and tackle Mo Hurst Jr. in the fifth.

Maybe, the Raiders can produce far more pressure on quarterbacks this season after a league-low 13 sacks in 2018.

If not, they’ll place more pressure on their own quarterback.

“Derek did a lot of good things,” Gruden said this spring. “We’re trying to, obviously, work on a couple of things we think he can get better at. We’ve also tried to improve his supporting cast at every level. (We) tried to improve our defense. Hopefully we get the ball to him more often in better field position.

“We’ve added some receivers. We’ve added a running back (rookie first-round pick Josh Jacobs). We’ve added a couple of linemen. Hopefully, a lot of these things will show up and he’ll be a great quarterback, which I know he will be.”

On Saturday, the Raiders will have their first full-squad practice of camp.

There, Carr can continue a strong offseason.

He is entering his sixth NFL season and second under Gruden’s tutelage. It’s just the second time in his professional career that he’s had the same play-caller as the year prior, a constancy that stands to bolster his ability to integrate new faces into the passing game.

At wide receiver, Amari Cooper is with the Dallas Cowboys. Jordy Nelson is retired on a Kansas farm, Martavis Bryant is suspended indefinitely, and Seth Roberts is with the Baltimore Ravens. Brown, Williams, Ryan Grant and rookie slot Hunter Renfrow are among the new receivers.

Tight end Darren Waller, athletic but largely unproven, will be counted upon to replace Jared Cook, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency. Jacobs is advanced as a receiver out of the backfield and should lead all Raiders running backs in touches by a comfortable margin.

With an improved cast and more time in Gruden’s system, Carr seems in better position this season to keep up with high-scoring opponents.

The sooner the Raiders can develop their youth on defense, the less that will be necessary.

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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.