Anything other than a playoff run this season will be unacceptable for the Raiders. After they took a step back in Gruden’s first season, going from a 6-10 team, one year removed from the playoffs, to a 4-12 team, they have seen improvement in the two years since.
Last season’s improvement was only incremental, going from 7-9 in 2019 to 8-8 in 2020. With the team fading down the stretch in both seasons. But many fans are clinging to the hopes that progress will continue and lead to a winning record and a playoff push for the first time since 2016.
Those outside of the Raiders’ fanbase may have other ideas. The folks over at Touchdown Wire, put together their post-draft power rankings today and they paint a stark picture as to where the Raiders stand in relation to the rest of the league.
The Raiders land at 30th in their rankings, ahead of only the mess that is the Houston Texans and the rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Welp. The Raiders, who have a radically different concept of player value compared to most other organizations, traded away most of their offensive line in the offseason, and put line coach Tom Cable in charge of the front-five rebuild. Those who call the Seahawks their team can tell you how that generally works out in a personnel sense. Cable was behind the selection of Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood with the 17th overall pick, which could be generously described as a bit of a reach.
Jon Gruden discovered that it’s better to be lucky than good when TCU safety Trevon Moehrig fell to the Raiders in the second round, and Moehrig fills desperate needs in the secondary as a multi-position defender with the potential to become a deep-third eraser. Given the blowup of the line and the reaches in this draft (EDGE Malcolm Koonce and safety/’backer Divine Deablo stand out in that regard), and it’s tough to see the 8-8 Raiders avoiding some manner of regression.”
From 8-8 to the third-worst team in the NFL would certainly be a regression. That puts them right back where they started in Gruden’s first season back on the job in 2018.
The concern is understandable. When you go from one of the best overall lines in football to having questions at four of the five positions, that’s going to lead to some concern.
Where the Raiders used to put a strong emphasis on the blocking up front, now the best Mike Mayock can say is that the Raiders got younger and in some instances more athletic (that would be over Trent Brown, which isn’t difficult considering he was constantly out of shape).
Left tackle Kolton Miller is the lone bright spot on the offensive line, signing a big extension this offseason. Otherwise, Pro Bowl Rodney Hudson is replaced by former undrafted Andre James, right guard Gabe Jackson is replaced by utility offensive lineman Denzelle Good, right tackle Trent Brown is replaced by top pick Alex Leatherwood, and at left guard 37-year-old, Richie Incognito is replaced by 38-year-old Richie Incognito.
The Raiders are hoping that by shifting their focus to the defense for the first time in Gruden’s tenure they can offset any potential issues along the line. Switching out defensive coordinator Paul Guenther for Gus Bradley also figuring to factor in.
[vertical-gallery id=80401]
[lawrence-newsletter]