Oakland Raiders
2018 Record: (4-12) 4th AFC West
2018 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 18.1 (28th)
Yards: 336.2 (23rd)
Pass Yards: 234.4 (18th)
Rush Yards: 101.8 (25th)
Defense
Points: 29.2 (32nd)
Yards: 381.4 (26th)
Pass Yards: 240.8 (19th)
Rush Yards: 140.6 (30th)
As the Oakland Raiders made headlines last offseason with the
hiring of John Gruden as their new sideline boss for the second time around,
the hope was the transition would move quickly in rebuilding this club.
Knowing Gruden and the way he does business, it was clear that
year one would become a straight evaluation of the entire roster. There’s no
question that in finding his own players and removing those that won’t fit into
the greater outlook of his vision, transactions would be made on more than one
occasion.
Starting with disgruntled super star Khalil Mack who held out in
hopes to garner a new contract, the Raiders had no choice but to send him
packing and shipped him to the Bears in exchange for heavy draft pick
compensation. Opinions varied on the trade given the talent Mack is, but the
amount of draft capital returned, Oakland had a starting point for the Gruden
rebuild.
When the season began, the initial outlook was bleak with a roster
filled with holes and inadequacies. Not to sound overly negative, the Raiders do
possess some very sound building blocks; but the overall visualization from
past tenures has crippled this group as a whole. Derek Carr, Amari Cooper,
Jared Cook, and to a lesser extent Marshawn Lynch, were the key cogs in
attempts to generate any success in 2018.
With lower expectations right out of the gates, the Raiders
managed to secure only one victory in the first six weeks of the season, even
though high effort was shown. Derek Carr flashed solid play resembling that of
his 2015 career best campaign in those first six games, but his supporting cast
(especially on defense) let him down. Over the course of the final ten weeks
(after their week 7 bye) Oakland managed to put in more sound effort
offensively, but could only muster 3 more victories to complete a failed
season.
While the season record came at the expense of the fan base,
another team transaction made waves before the NFL trade deadline. Having seen
more than enough, John Gruden surly had his hand in trading star receiver
(Amari Cooper) away to the Dallas Cowboys for yet another 1st round
draft pick to help bolster his capital. It became clearer that obtaining draft
picks to establish the future was the guiding principle for Gruden and nothing
was going to stand in his way. With many other moves made over the course of
the season, Oakland’s roster looked vastly different than the one which opened
up the 2018 campaign.
2019 Offseason WorkBook:
The Coaching Staff
Entering his second offseason as the man in charge, John Gruden
has retained virtually his entire staff with the exception of a couple
specialty coaches no longer with the team. Forging ahead with Greg Olsen
(offensive coordinator) and Paul Guenther (defensive coordinator) year two of
the Raiders installation will have some level of familiarity.
One notable acquisition for the Oakland Raider front office, was
the hiring of NFL draft guru, Mike Mayock to hold the position of general
manager. This move has come with some level of speculation wondering if Mayock
would have the aptitude of holding down such an important role. It’s clear that
Mike has a sound understanding of how to appropriately evaluate players, and
will be under the microscope with his first front office position in the NFL.
The Offense
We have never been shy throwing praise toward the Raiders starting
quarterback Derek Carr, believing he is a much better product then the last few
seasons have indicated. Seeing a multitude of coaching and system change over
throughout his short career, it’s no question that finding a way to progress
has come with a level of disappointment. Pulling positives from last season,
Carr managed to nearly hit 70% pass completions with finding a way to go over
the 4000 passing yard mark for the first time in his 5 year career. It’s truly
our contention that Derek Carr isn’t the problem on this squad.
One aspect of this club that forces us to take pause has been the
uneven play and second underperforming season of this once great offensive
line. While injures have taken their toll, the overall performance based on how
much money has been forked over to the group doesn’t jive anymore. On paper,
Hudson, Osemele, Penn, and Kolton look to be an absolute dominating force. Perhaps
the outlook of a new season could bring their play back to respectable levels.
When reviewing the rest of this roster, it’s clear that a talent
infusion at running back and wide receiver is desperately needed and will be at
the forefront of how this roster continues to build. When we view Jalan
Richard, Jordy Nelson and Marcell Ateman as the top weapons rostered as of
today, it feels like a gut punch to say the least. Heavy improvements will be
coming to key offensive positions for Oakland this offseason; there’s no
question about that.
The Defense
After Khalil Mack was dealt before the start of the season, the
writing was on the wall for what would potentially turn out to be a disastrous
campaign for this group.
Reviewing their statistical achievements (or lack thereof), we
literally had to double take at the historically low number of sacks this
defense generated over the course of the year. This group combined for an
embarrassing 13 total takedowns of opposing quarterbacks in 2018. We all knew
Mack was a beast on the field, but it’s clear he was the only positive on this
line in terms of pass rushers.
The Raiders line backing core is another unit that leaves a lot to
be desired, as Tahir Whitehead seemed to be the only member willing to dish out
punishment on a weekly basis. Whitehead alone was responsible for 126 tackles
which was nearly 60 more than any other player on this club. With a defensive
line unable to produce adequate penetration, taking down ball carriers became the
responsibility of Whitehead and the team’s safeties. Adding any viable talent
to this group would also be a welcomed sight on this defense.
When we review the backend of this defensive group, we could try
and pull a few positives, but outside Karl Joseph and Gareon Conely, there
isn’t much to be excited about. While Conley did flash skill, he did leave us
wanting more hoping he could establish himself as a true difference maker. With
that said, not having a great deal of support, he did have a fairly good
season. Karl Joseph in our eyes could become a very special player given the
correct opportunity which may not be in Oakland. Reports during the year had
Karl on the trade block, but a partner couldn’t be found. It would be a shame
for Raiders nation to see Joseph wearing a different color next season.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
As we mentioned above, John Gruden has a plan to rebuild this
team, and it’s no surprise to see the massive laundry list of team free agents
on display. The Raiders currently hold 33 players in need of a new contract, to
which we could see many finding new homes.
This listing does possess some big names that could bring depth
value for Oakland in 2019 but will be viewed as short term options. Rashaan
Melvin sits atop the list, but should find his way to the open market with the
amount of money he intends to fetch. Jared Cook is another player that would be
nice to retain as he was the top receiving target for Derek Carr last season.
Rumor has it that Cook plans to test the market leaving Oakland in his
rear-view. Doug Martin does have some appeal to return to the mix as he found
decent production in relief of Marshawn Lynch (injury).
Outside of those players, aging talent is what fills the rest of
this list and these players will be hard pressed to find a way back on the
team.
Great positives for teams looking to completely retool their
roster, the Raiders have managed to secure just over 70 million (+$70,259,698)
in cap space to help this build move quicker. Adding to that, Oakland does
still house players that are prime cut candidates to increase the total funds
on the books.
Kelechi Osemele saw a giant decrease in his level of play while
also finding his way into the medical room for six games, his salary places him
atop of players to be released. Holding a cap number of 10.2 million with no
dead money attached, he could find his way off the roster.
Outside of that, big money savings won’t be found unless multiple
players are cut, and it shouldn’t be a high priority for the Raiders with the
abundance of cap they possess.
The NFL Draft
Throughout this assessment, we have made the point clear that
rebuilding through the draft is the avenue John Gruden wishes to move, and
holding 10 picks in this year draft surely confirms that.
Holding three picks in the 1st round and five in the
top 66, Oakland can move in any direction they choose up and down the board.
While securing top players is the objective, we would love to witness Mike
Mayock trade down with one of his 1st rounder’s to garner more
capital and keeping the prospects high in future drafts. If selecting three
players in the first round is the unanimous choice, Oakland could definitely
turn things around rather quick if they hit on all three.
While the Raiders have so many holes to fill on this roster,
selecting the best available player on their draft board should be the way this
plays out. Exciting times will be had for the Raiders and their fans come the
end of April.
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