While the rest of the NFL continues to take fullbacks and tight ends off the field in favor of more receivers, the Raiders are going old school. It’s no secret that Jon Gruden likes to play smash-mouth football and he’s now built a roster that can do it at a very high level.
However, the Raiders did use a lot of resources to improve their passing game this season, spending two top-100 picks on wide receivers. So how should we anticipate the Raiders deploying their personnel groups this season? The answer is somewhat complicated.
In a recent article by ESPN’s Matt Bowen, he broke down the league’s best offense by personnel grouping. The Raiders actually appeared on the list twice as they were among the league’s best offenses out of 13 and 22 personnel.
The Las Vegas Raiders ran 111 snaps out of 22 personnel in 2019, and I would anticipate a similar approach again this season. Given the downhill traits of Josh Jacobs, the Raiders can lean on their power-run schemes. And with rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III bringing his 4.27 speed to Vegas, coach Jon Gruden can script some deep-ball throws and quick-game targets off play-action for quarterback Derek Carr.
It’s pretty clear that the Raiders have arguably the best tight end depth chart in the NFL with Darren Waller, Foster Moreau and Jason Witten. The Raiders will want to find a way to get at least two of these guys on the field on most snaps as it gives them versatility in both the run and passing game.
The trick here is finding a way to pass the ball well with two tight ends and two running backs on the field. Josh Jacobs has shown the ability to be a good receiver and Alec Ingold has had his moments as well. If both players can improve as receivers, teams could have a hard time matching up with the Raiders’ 22 personnel given their ability to pass and play smashmouth football.
With the Raiders having depth at tight end, running back and wide receiver, expect the team to use a bunch of different personnel packages throughout the season. However, expect 22 personnel to be among their favorite groupings this season.
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