The Raiders invested heavily this offseason on defense, spending significant money in free agency to add four new starters, with the potential of another if they finalize a deal for veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara. They also used three of their seven draft picks on defensive players.
On paper, this group looks much better than it did at this time last year, and if the expected improvements come to fruition, the defense will look better on the field, too.
That said, there is work to be done to get the new players acclimated and room to grow for some of the younger players from the past two drafts.