Oakland Raiders
The Raiders can reasonably lay claim to being the most-exciting team going into the 2017 season. Derek Carr is only entering his prime and threw for nearly 4,000 yards for the second straight season in 2016 and finished sixth in efficiency. Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and tight end Jared Cook make up a solid receiving corps and the offensive line finished first in adjusted sack rate last season. Oh, and they brought Marshawn Lynch out of retirement,
Oakland was seventh in offensive efficiency last season and its offense is still getting better. It’s not hard to imagine the Raiders having a top-five offense for the next five years, if not more. The defensive end, of course, is a different story.
Khalil Mack is a generational talent, but the Raiders have to build more around him. They took steps last season, bringing in Sean Smith, Reggie Nelson and Bruce Irvin before 2016, but Smith struggled at the start of the year and never fully regained his mojo. Safety Karl Joseph flashed good signs in his rookie season, but Oakland took a major risk in drafting cornerback Gareon Conley, who is facing serious off-field allegations, in the first round. Even if that works out, there’s still a major hole to be plugged at defensive tackle.
Of course, we’re looking at the best-case scenario for all of these teams. A lot has to happen defensively for Oakland to have a chance at a dynasty, but with a great offense already in place, it’s possible. Dynasty or not, the Raiders should be Super Bowl contenders as long as Carr is playing like this.