NFL
By: Greg Rector
The Las Vegas Raiders went through a tumultuous 2021 season yet still managed to make the playoffs. The offseason was a busy one in Las Vegas as they hired a new head coach in Josh McDaniels and have a new general manager in place as well. the days of Gruden and Mayock are over for the Raiders and now the focus is on competing with the rest of the AFC West. Let’s look at the Raiders for the 2022 season.
Las Vegas Raiders 10-7 (Lost in the wild-card round)
Offense
The Raiders jumped into the offseason wide receiver frenzy in a big way when they acquired Davante Adams in a trade with the Packers after Adams had refused to be franchise tagged in Green Bay. Adams then signed one of the biggest wide receiver contracts in the league. This means quarterback Derek Carr has one of the best receivers in the league to throw to. Adams joins tight end Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow in what could be a dangerous group to deal with. While the running backs will be led by Josh Jacobs despite not giving him his 5th-year option. They also drafted one of the most underrated running backs in the draft in my opinion by getting Zamir White (Georgia) any guy who is nicknamed “Zeus,” has a reputation to live up to for sure. Questions will still remain about the Raiders’ offensive line. I simply don’t believe they have addressed the weakness upfront enough at this point. It’s very hard to fix every part of a team and going forward the Raiders will need to get better. The potential to score a lot of points is certainly there with this group. Carr has never had so much receiving talent and if given enough time by the offensive line they should be able to play in any shootout type of game.
Defense
While Maxx Crosby had a huge 2021 season and deserves all the accolades plus the contract extension he signed, the Raiders traded away Yannick Ngakoue to Indianapolis in exchange for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. The biggest addition is DE Chandler Jones (Cardinals) but is Jones at age 32 going to be enough of an impact player for this defense? I just don’t see this defense, especially the linebackers and secondary being able to stop many opposing offenses and that definitely holds true for the games against their division rivals. This defense will be the determining factor for success or failure in the 2022 season. They are asking a lot from Crosby and Jones to get to the quarterbacks and disrupt what they want to do. I really see them scrapping and fighting but there are simply so many weapons for them to deal with. As with the offensive line, it will take time to bring enough talent to be a feared unit.
Outlook
I am all for second chances and Josh McDaniels being given a second shot as a head coach falls into that category. I am really having a hard time though seeing this turn out any better than his stint as the Broncos head coach did. Given the lack of success other Bill Belichek assistants have had when given the reigns of different teams I really think the Raiders will fall back from last season. There are too many question marks for me to believe in this group as currently constructed. The Las Vegas Raiders could surprise me however I am not seeing it as of now. The Raiders will compete but I see them coming up short more often than not in 2022. I will say the Raiders have a 7-10 record this season.
