The following are three positions to watch closely Sunday when the Oakland Raiders host the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Cornerbacks: We all know the gory details. DJ Hayden -- the No. 12 overall pick in the 2013 draft -- has been inconsistent in his career and this summer. He had a rough game last week at Minnesota. The Vikings picked him apart. The Raiders are expecting a lot from Hayden. They are inexperienced at cornerback; TJ Carrie, a seventh-round pick last year, has been solid, but the Raiders need more. Hayden, Keith McGill and Neiko Thorpe have to play well or Oakland may be forced into going outside the organization to find a starter at cornerback. And that’s not easy to do at this point of the year.
Receiver: The Raiders’ deepest position is receiver. They are in good shape with starters Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. If he can stay healthy, Rod Streater should be a solid No. 3 receiver. They also have Brice Butler, Kenbrell Thompkins, Seth Roberts and Andre Holmes would return from a broken hand right around Week 1. Oakland likely won’t keep more than six receivers on the regular roster. Thus, the rest of the preseason is vital for Butler, Thompkins and Roberts.
Running backs: Again, the starters are going to get most of the work against the Cardinals, but the Raiders need to find out who will back up Latavius Murray at tailback. Undrafted rookie Michael Dyer had a good game against the Vikings after struggling against the Rams. He had 45 yards on 12 carries and received praise after the game from coach Jack Del Rio. The expected backup, Trent Richardson, struggled, with 5 yards on five carries. The Raiders guaranteed Richardson, a former No. 3 overall pick, $600,000 but if Dyer continues to outplay him, it may be Dyer who makes the team and Richardson who gets cut.
