The personnel on the offensive side of the ball is relatively the same, but a few key areas will have competition that will go a long way in determining the team’s success this season. Of course, this includes the well-documented quarterback competition.
On defense, only two starters from 2012 (Lamarr Houston and Tyvon Branch) are likely to carry such roles again, so there will be plenty of turnover elsewhere. Both draft and free-agency additions will make the cornerback competition the one to watch there.
Here are the five biggest training camp battles for the Oakland Raiders in 2013.
Quarterback
The Raiders’ position battle brewing at quarterback has been their most highly debated this offseason and certainly will continue to be throughout camp.
Matt Flynn will enter as the heavy favorite, and considering his experience, for good reason.
No, that experience hasn’t come through numerous NFL starts, but rather working in successful systems under quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and coaches like Mike McCarthy.
The knock on Flynn will be that he should have been an established starter by now if he was really capable of doing so, but as Raiders fans know, the same could have been said about Rich Gannon when he came to Oakland.
Matt Flynn is now getting the opportunity that he has earned in limited playing time, and it will be his job to lose.
Having said that, given the Raiders’ lack of financial commitment to Flynn, should either Terrelle Pryor or Tyler Wilson outplay him throughout the preseason, they would not feel obligated to stick with him as the starter.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
