Six new players have been added to the Raiders roster within the past few days, while a handful of mainstays were traded or released and several more were re-signed. It’s enough to make one’s head spin and wonder just what everything means. No need to worry, we have you covered here at RaidersSnakePit.com. We have
Resetting Raiders depth chart after flurry of roster additions, subtractions
“Offense is ready to go”? Apparently, you’ve overlooked Parker as the starting right tackle – that would have Carr running for his life, and we know how good he is in such circumstances.
Last season our defensive line could not muster any real pressure, and in 2021 that’s supposed to be the foundation of Bradley’s offense. Have we really improved at 3-technique DT or nose tackle? We can only hope that Ngakoue will have more sacks than 7 or 8 he had over the past two seasons, otherwise our sack total will not increase materially. No reinforcements among the linebackers. So, we can only hope that Bradley will be able to somehow make this front 7 materially better than in 2020. It seems that saying “defensive line and linebacker, at least, seem pretty-well stocked” is a bit of a wishful thinking.
Regrettably, not only did the Raiders do nothing to truly address three of their four main needs – free safety, 3-technique DT, right tackle – but they also destabilized the offensive line threatening to completely derail Car who, as we should all know by now, can’t perform under pressure.
Apparently, they didn’t like any of the top free safeties, neither J. Johnson III at $11mm per year nor A. Harris at $5 mm for 1 year. Since there are no solid starters left in free agency, you would assume they are looking to find one in the draft. However, it appears that no Raiders personnel attended the TCU pro day to observe T. Moehrig, the only free safety who might be a potential starter and is head and shoulders above the rest in this class.
Why are they hesitating to make a deal with a solid right tackle is a mystery? Hoping to squeeze a few bucks there, while generously spending on the backup RB?
Yet another year of Gruden’s sheer incompetence on display when it comes to evaluation, recruitment (and retention) of personnel.
Yes, ready to go. By that, I mean that the players Gruden and Mayock want are in place. If Parker doesn’t pan out, Denzelle Good replaces him, with John Simpson going to right guard.
I really hope you are wrong that the Raiders would pass on a stud linebacker. That’s been an area of need for years now. Why not get a young stud if available at 17. I am guessing that the 17th pick will now be used for an offensive lineman which would not excite me since there are still so many questions on the defensive side of the ball.
Hopefully, with a “real”-ish off season, some of the youngsters will improve enough to allay some of the concerns on the defensive side of the ball.
This coaching staff needs to be better at developing young players and putting them in positions to succeed. I am (and have been) skeptical of Gruden’s ability to evaluate talent. He had a terrible record in Tampa Bay and does not appear to have improved in that area here.
Brandon Parker filled in admirably last season when called upon. Surprised most of us how well he did. Hopefully he’s continued to improve under Cable’s direction and can be an asset for us on the o-line.
It’s appears Gruden and Mayock do have a plan, and it’s becoming clear that it’s longer term than most of us are looking. I think much of what’s taking place now has implications for 2022 to position the team for when the cap spikes from the new TV deal.
If you have access to The Athletic, for a more sober view, I would suggest checking out this piece:
https://theathletic.com/2463935/2021/03/20/jon-gruden-raiders-rodney-hudson/