Derek Carr addresses new additions to Raiders roster

Derek Carr had plenty to talk about in a phone interview with Vic Tafur of The Athletic as the Raiders quarterback prepares for his eighth season with a Silver and Black.

Among other things, Carr discussed his excitement regarding the Raiders' offseason roster additions, especially defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

"I had a lot of excitement every time we did something but the one that really excited me — and it really excited me for Maxx (Crosby) — was getting Yannick. I know the type of player that Yannick is," Carr gushed about Ngakoue, who the Raiders signed in March. "Playing against him, game-planning against him was a headache, and now that other teams have to focus on that and they have to focus on Maxx, and the interior, getting him did so much for our team."

Carr even went so far as to compare Ngakoue to one of the league's most celebrated defensive players.

"He is the only guy I have compared his twitchiness to Von Miller," Carr admitted to Tafur. "I don’t compare anybody to Von. Von is in an all-world, Hall of Fame class of his own. But Yannick has the same kind of abilities and traits."

It probably doesn't hurt, either, that Carr is a fan of Ngakoue off of the field.

"He is such a great person," Carr said. "He reached out to me — I am usually the one who reaches out to my teammates to make sure they’re good — two or three times in the offseason to make sure I was good. That just shows me the kind of leader he is going to be, and that excited me."

Ngakoue isn't the only player Carr is excited about, either. Always the optimist, the seven-year veteran revealed his high hopes for this season's roster.

"It’s definitely the best roster we’ve had in a while," he said. "From a talent standpoint. From a leadership standpoint. From demanding of it from each other.

"We’ve been going in the right direction and this team has a chance to go the next step, but we have to do it."

Raiders training camp officially got underway on Tuesday. They kick off the season with the first "Monday Night Football" game of 2021, hosting the Baltimore Ravens.