The Las Vegas Raiders come in at #22 in my NFL rankings. They are an interesting, under the radar team with potential but a lot to prove still.
I feel like the Raiders have decent pieces on their roster, but they need everything to mesh fully. They had a decent season in 2021, making the playoffs and actually competing well with the Bengals in that first playoff game. 2022 was disappointing, especially considering many thought that adding star wide receiver Davante Adams and adding promising head coach Josh McDaniels would be additions that could send them over the top.
The Raiders struggled in 2022, and long time starting quarterback Derek Carr is now a Saint. But I wouldn't be too pessimistic if I'm a Raiders fan.
In 2023 it feels like a new era in Las Vegas. They replaced Derek Carr with a proven game manager that has won a lot of games in Jimmy Garoppolo. Jimmy's overall skill level might be less than Derek, but not by much, and I think Jimmy's playstyle could be a better fit in Vegas than it was with Derek. Jimmy doesn't overthink, he just does his job.
The Raiders offensively were not even too bad in 2022, they were ranked top twelve in points scored and yards offensively. The big problem was their abysmal defense that was ranked roughly 27th overall in the NFL.
The Raiders drafted in response to that lackluster defense and drafted six defensive players in the draft! With the seventh overall pick they drafted defensive end Tyree Wilson.
Tyree is actually injured at the moment, but luckily the defensive line is one area that's not too bad since they have star pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones up front. But it's good they have some young talent up front waiting in line. Pass rushers are hard to come by, and Tyree has a tremendous ceiling.
Raiders' head coach Josh McDaniels has dealt with a lot of criticism since he hasn't produced as a head coach, despite having a lot of success as an offensive coordinator in New England for so long. I think Josh is a coach with potential still, I believe he will succeed eventually.
There's a lot less pressure on the Raiders in 2023, I believe that's a good thing for them. They could win 9 games in 2023 and I wouldn't be shocked.
