Will the secondary hold up?

TJ Carrie was a seventh-round pick a year ago, and he has handled himself pretty well, but the fact that he is the no-doubt No. 1 corner on this team gives you a sense of the shaky ground below. DJ Hayden, the 2013 first-round pick, is the other starting corner, and the coaches are so high on him that he played a whole half in the final preseason game — the other 21 starters got the night off. Keith McGill and Neiko Thorpe each had chances to take Hayden’s job but couldn’t. The safety position is better, but 38-year-old Charles Woodson is obviously not what he once was, and newcomer Nate Allen gave up some big plays with the Eagles last year.

Can the defensive line bail

out the secondary?

The Raiders had only 22 sacks last year, and the only newcomer is second-round pick Mario Edwards Jr. — who did show some flashes in the preseason. Khalil Mack has moved to defensive end and might be on the verge of becoming one of the best players in the league, so it’s possible he just carries the defense on his back and makes everyone better. Justin Tuck (32 years old) and Dan Williams (28) should help, and the players believe that fiery defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. will inspire them to be better this season. Williams will definitely help the run defense, which will force teams to pass more.

Is second-year QB Derek Carr ready

to take the next step?

Carr was solid in his rookie season. He got the deserved benefit of the doubt because Oakland couldn’t run the ball early in the season and was pretty thin at receiver. Well, big-money center Rodney Hudson and running back Latavius Murray should address the first problem, and general manager Reggie McKenzie added Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper to remedy the second. Carr is very smart and has a good arm, but his accuracy hasn’t been great and he didn’t look comfortable in the pocket in a touchdown-less preseason. His confidence is through the roof, though, and Raiders fans hope he was saving it for the opening bell.

— Vic Tafur