Sep 3, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; An Oakland Raiders fan holds a sing advocating for the team to not move to Los Angeles during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

After four meaningless games played where fans picked over every detail endlessly, the Raiders are finally opening up the 2015 regular season with a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals. In a season where hope and optimism actually seem warranted, the opportunity for the Raiders to begin the season with a statement is right in front of them. All that needs to happen is for the Raiders to kick the door in with authority.

New Faces

Along with an opportunity to start off the season with a bang, some new faces are joining the Raiders after the final cut down day. As has been Reggie McKenzie’s custom, cut down day had it’s fair share of moderate controversy. The Raiders opted for seven cornerbacks and only three safeties, while also praying that both Shelby Harris and Max Valles went unclaimed to the practice squad. The praying paid off and then some, because not only did both of those players make it, but so did preseason sensation Josh Shirley.

In return, the Raiders did cut two corners one was Chekwa, to make space for Seahawks undrafted free agent from Norfolk State, and half brother to Kam Chancellor, Keenan Lambert. The other addition was Lavar Edwards who was cut from Dallas after having a fairly successful third preseason. Edwards makes a ton of sense for the Raiders since he has a very similar skill set to Mario Edwards Jr.

Offensively, the Raiders decided to carry only three halfbacks, along with two fullbacks. To make the situation even more interesting, they also decided to carry nine offensive lineman and four tight ends. From what Musgrave has shown this offseason, the Raiders will not use a traditional fullback. Interestingly enough, Reece and Olawale are not traditional players. Both are oversized, yet speedy running backs with decent hands. One set Musgrave showed sparingly was a shotgun set with three receivers and two backs. They would playaction to one back and send the other into a flat, very similar to what UCLA did a couple years ago. That sort of formation with this backfield could be highly successful.