The loss of Drew Carter hurts the Raider offense
The Raiders embarassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday got worse when it was announced that both wide receiver Drew Carter and fullback Oren O'Neal have been lost for the season with knee injuries. Both Carter and O'Neal hurt their left knees, and both happened early in the first quarter. These injuries will likely spark some renewed debate in the Raider Nation whether or not there are too many preseason games. These are both big losses for the Oakland Raiders' fledgling offense, as they were both being counted on as large parts of the offensive attack.
Drew Carter:
Drew Carter has a torn anterior cruciate legiment, and is out for the season. Carter was brought in as a free agent and expected to compete with Ronald Curry to start at wide receiver opposite Javon Walker. Carter was expected to give the Raiders another deep threat, which is something they were sorely lacking last season.
The Raiders wide receiving corps has been unimpressive at best through training camp and the preseason. The loss of Carter is magnified by the lack of depth at that position. The remaining receivers competing for roster spots are quite inexpierenced. On the bubble return specialist and wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins has the most catches of any of the other receivers on the roster. Todd Watkins received the most rave reviews of the other guys in camp reports, but has yet to catch a ball in a regular season game. Sixth round pick Chaz Schilens has looked good in preseason games, and likely had a roster spot fall into his lap with the injury. Jonahtan Holland, Drisan James, and Chris McFoy have yet to see any meaningful time on the field. Don't be surprised to see the Raiders look to do some bargain shopping on the waiver wire.
Oren O'Neal:
Whilst Drew carter was expected to make plays, O'Neal was expected to knock defenders out of the way so Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush could make plays. In his rookie campaign, O'Neal showed that he was from a dying breed, a true blocking fullback. He was instrumental in the Raiders having such a strong rushing attack last season, and was expected to further improve. Instead, he now finds himself facing a career threatening injury. Lane Kiffin said that it was more than just a "simple ACL tear." Whilst, return for an ACL tear is now commonplace, that used to be considered a career ending injury. Haviing something more than an ACL tear is a real concern.
The Raiders have another fullback in Justin Griffith, but he is a better receiver and runner than he is blocker. This could free up space for either Marcel Reece or Tony Jackson to make the team. With the Raiders running style, having a blocking fullback is imparitive for their success.
The one thing this does is make the first cut process simpler. By moving O'Neal and Carter to the injured reserve, the Raiders free up two roster spots. Once they cut out the dead weight, the Raiders can potentially look for replacements.
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