Raiders 2024 year-end awards: Top newcomer, best position group, most disappointing addition, more

The 2024 NFL season is behind us. So, let’s take a look back and hand out some awards. Some of which will be good ones. Some…not so much.

The 2024 NFL season is behind us. So, let’s take a look back and hand out some awards. Some of which will be good ones. Some…not so much.

This was an easy choice. Bowers is not just the Raiders top rookie, he is arguably the top rookie in the NFL. He is a long shot for Offensive Rookie of theYear due to the existence of Jayden Daniels, but there is a case to be made that he should win it due to the historic numbers he put up this seasons including rookie TE receiving yards record (1194), rookie receptions record (112), and Raiders franchise single-season receptions record.

He was added for nothing and without a lot of fanfare. The round seven rookie was waived by the Colts in their final roster cuts and claimed by the Raiders. He started seven games for the Raiders down the stretch and looks like he could be a solid foundational piece on this defensive line considering he has three years left on his rookie deal.

Butler set out this season to show he could be an every-down player and he did that. He stepped up with the loss of Christian Wilkins and was the Raiders’ best interior defender, finishing with five sacks and career-bests in tacckles (65), tackles for loss (8) and QB hits (10).

Jakorian Bennett was the midseason winner of this award, but he went down with injury and missed the latter half of the season. He too is probably worthy, but Butler held up all season long and is thus deserving of the award in the end.

Being that Chaisson had never had NFL success before this season, one could argue he’s not “coming back” from anything. But being that there aren’t any other candidates for this award, we’re going to stretch that a bit. He was a former first round pick, so at one time he was highly regarded. He just never lived up to it with the Jaguars. The former LSU star edge rusher had as many sacks this season (five) as he did his first four seasons combined.

Gardner Minshew is a close runner-up here. But after seeing the improved numbers across the board under Luke Getsy’s replacement Scott Turner, it was clear Getsy was a big part of the problem. Not a big surprise, honestly. He was coming off a terrible season with the Bears and wasn’t the Raiders first choice for the job. And somehow he was still a great disappointment.

They lost their top player Christian Wilkins five games into the season. And yet somehow still managed to step up and carry the load. The combo of Adam Butler, John Jenkins, and Jonah Laulu gave the Raiders some solid work both in run defense and pass rush. With some good late season flashes from Zach Carter as well. Should they bring back Butler, teaming him up with Wilkins and Laulu could give the Raiders a very formidable front.

You could also go with “Only good game” as the title of this award. That win in Baltimore looks more and more like a fluke the farther down the line we get from it. Their other wins were against two of the worst teams in the NFL (Jaguars and Browns), one who had Deshaun Watson starting and the other two with backup QBs (Jaguars and Saints).

Somewhat interesting their worst game came the week after their best one. Though there were many contenders for the worst game. But looking back, the one that stands out is the one that started the collapse.

It was their home opening loss to the Panthers in which they never led and Andy Dalton led offense to put up 33 points in the first 47 minutes. After the game, Antonio Pierce had his infamous reactionary press conference in which he called out unnamed players for making “business decisions.”

Shortly thereafter, Davante Adams came down with a sudden and mysterious ankle injury. Then demanded a trade and eventually was sent to the Jets. That’s also when Michael Mayer left the team and didn’t return for more than a month. The team was in shambles the rest of the way.

They would “win” the next game against the Browns, but anyone who watched it saw Deshaun Watson hand that game to the Raiders on a silver platter. Then they went on a ten-game losing streak.

Some of the lowlights from that streak include the Rams game where the Raiders turned the ball over four times, the first Chiefs game where the running backs averaged less than a yard per carry, the Steelers game where Pittsburgh rattled off 26 unanswered, the Broncos who had a 100-yard pick six and put up 34 unanswered, and the Bengals game when the Raiders gave up scores on the first five drives — four of which went for touchdowns — and allowed a season-high 41 points.

And that was just the first five games of their ten-game losing streak. They failed to reach even 20 points in any of the five games after the bye week while turning the ball over nine times.

He finished third in the league in gross punt average (50.8) and garnered a few All Pro votes.

Yes, the best rookie has also been their best offensive player and their lone First Team All Pro. Jakobi Meyers had his best season, but he wasn’t nearly on the level of Bowers who the Raiders offense ran through.

He won AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the team’s come-from-behind win in Baltimore in Week two. He battled ankle injury for several weeks, then injured the same ankle later in the season, sending Crosby to injured reserve. He was still named to the Pro Bowl and no other Raiders defender is approaching his talents.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 loss to Chargers

Breaking down the best and worst individual performances in the Raiders season-ending loss to the Chargers.

The 2024 NFL season came to a close for the Raiders on Sunday. Not for the Chargers, however, they had already punched their ticket for the playoffs. But they were playing for better seeding and the game played out very much like these two teams had very different fates.

Ballers

WR Jakobi Meyers

This game saw Meyers have his second career 100-yard game and, in turn, his first career 1000-yard season.

The Raiders had three scoring drives in the game. The first gave them a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. That drive saw Meyers catch three passes for 35 yards.

The second scoring drive he had a 22-yard catch and then the touchdown from 26 yards out. He had a 24-yard catch in the fourth quarter that put him over 1000 yards on the season and put the Raiders in field goal range, but they needed a touchdown and the drive ended with a turnover on downs.

DT Jonah Laulu, DT Zach Carter

The Chargers’ first drive ended in a three-and-out with Laulu making the run stuff for no gain on third and one. A couple drives later, Laulu got pressure up the middle to force an incompletion and the Chargers settled for a field goal to tie it up at 3-3.

Late in the second quarter, Carter got in the passing lane to bat a pass down on a drive that went for a field goal. He would then end the first drive of the third quarter with consecutive run stuffs for no gain from the one yard line. Laulu had a couple run stuffs early in the drive, including a tackle for loss.

Each of them would have run stops in goal to go on the Chargers’ final scoring drive, though the Chargers would eventually get in on third and goal from the two to put the game away.

LT Kolton Miller

The one sack that came from his man was not his fault. Aidan O’Connell was attempting to escape pressure up the middle and ran into the sack. Miller had a flawless game in protection.

Continue to the Busters…

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 15 loss to Falcons

Calling out the best and worst individual performances for the Raiders in their week 15 game against the Falcons.

While the defense seemed to do a fairly good job of keeping the Falcons from running away with the game, the offense once again couldn’t seem to do anything with those efforts. For the first three quarters, the Raiders offense had crossed the 50 just once. And found themselves down 15-3. A late push ended up too little too late and thus they lost their tenth straight.

Ballers

DT Jonah Laulu

The first stop of the game was courtesy of Laulu coming up the gut on a stunt to sack Kirk Cousins for a ten-yard loss. It took a score off the board too because the Falcons had driven within range of a 45-yard field goal. But after the sack, they instead punted it away.

The Falcons would get a touchdown at the end of the first quarter. And Laulu would help ensure that would be their only TD of the game. The next drive, they would be knocking on the door, making it inside the Vegas 40-yard-line. But they would get no further as Laulu made the tackle on a scramble for two yards to bring up third and long. An errant pass would force another punt.

Later he would make the final play for the defense, dropping into coverage and just getting a hand on a pass that would have been for a first down to end the game. Instead it gave the Raiders the ball back with 1:50 left and a shot at winning the game.

DT Adam Butler

Just before the half, the Falcons drove into Raiders territory again, reaching the Vegas 43. Then in third-and-nine, Butler would fight his way into the backfield to make the sack and force another punt.

LB Robert Spillane

Then the first play of the third quarter, Butler got a hand on a pass at the line, and Robert Spillane picked it off for the first takeaway of the game for the Raiders.

The following drive would end with Spillane making a tackle for loss to bring up third and nine. He would make the stop on the next drive as well, making the tackle short of the first down on third-and-11.

Spillane got flagged for an absolutely terrible roughing the passer penalty. He was flagged for hitting the QB on the helmet and that simply didn’t happen. He actually made a great play, coming on the blitz and batting the ball on what should have been a stop, but was instead an automatic first down on the bogus penalty.

He would help the Raiders defense rally back from that and stop the Falcons anyway three plays later.

RB Ameer Abdullah

For the Raiders to have any chance in this game, they needed to drive for a touchdown late. They got that touchdown thanks to Abdullah. First, he made a 23-yard catch up the right sideline to put them in first and goal at the five. Then on the next play, he took a short pass, broke a tackle and streaked for the end zone, diving over the end line for the score.

Abdullah then put them in position to have a shot at the end as well. On fourth-and-eight, he caught a pass in the right flat, spun out of what looked like a sure tackle and ran for the first down, even getting out of bounds to stop the clock.

Honorable Mention

LB Divine Deablo — Tied for third on the team in tackles (six) including one for  a loss.

DE Tyree Wilson — Had a sack and two tackles for loss.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao — Led the team in tackles (nine)

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated Week 13 vs. Chiefs

The Raiders lost in spectacular fashion against the Chiefs on Black Friday, but who played the best for Las Vegas despite the defeat?

The Raiders and Chiefs put on a show for a national audience on Black Friday, but Kansas City escaped with a win as Las Vegas was left to wonder what could have been.

The Raiders were in position to kick a game-winning field goal but ran one too many plays, resulting in a miss-timed snap, fumble, and a crushing last-second defeat.

However, some Raiders had a productive day. Tight end Brock Bowers was spectacular, catching 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. He’s the highest-graded player on the team this week, according to Pro Football Focus.

The No. 2 player on the list is graded 10 points below Bowers’ impressive 90.6 rating. Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu earned playing time on Friday and rewarded his coaches with three tackles and a pass breakup. He helped the Raiders’ strong run defense on Friday.

Three more players on offense — quarterback Aidan O’Connell, running back Sincere McCormick, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers — complete the list this week.  That’s no surprise, as the Raiders offense outgained the Chiefs offense by a healthy margin, 434 to 329.

But at some point, it would be nice for the Raiders to earn grades from PFF after a victory. Las Vegas has lost eight straight, and coach Antonio Pierce probably has to win a game or two to save his job, regardless of how hard his team plays on gameday. They’ll try for a win aginst Tampa Bay in Week 14.

Who steps up for Raiders with Christian Wilkins on injured reserve

The Raiders have a tough task trying to replace Christian Wilkins Sunday against the Steelers and for the next four weeks at least.

Some players are fairly irreplaceable. At least in terms of expecting the next guy on the roster to be able to offer anything comparable in terms of talent and production. Christian Wilkins is one such player. But the Raiders have no choice but to play who they’ve got and hope for the best.

The start DT was placed on injured reserve this week, which means he will be out at least four weeks srarting with Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Four of the team’s five games this season it’s been Adam Butler who has aptly started alongside Wilkins and that will continue. The two were linemates in Miami in 2021. Filling in for Wilkins will take a village.

It means it will be a rotation which would be led out by John Jenkins, but include second year DT Nesta Jade Silvera, rookie Jonah Laulu and third year former fifth round pick Matthew Butler who was signed to the active roster off the practice squad this week.

“You can’t replace Christian Wilkins,” said Antonio Pierce. “But you can do yourself and be the best version of yourself and that’s what we’re going to ask them to do. Just do your job. When I asked them this week, just do right. Just do right. Don’t go outside the box, don’t be somebody else, don’t try to make that game-winning play or that game-winning tackle, just keep them linemen off our linebackers, get some knockback, and use your hands.”

Last week Laulu got 19 snaps, which was his most of the season. It was also the next most snaps after Adam Butler, Jenkins, and Wilkins. He figures to be the next man up this week as well. While Matthew Butler and Jade Silvera will rotate in as well.

“Matthew Butler has done an outstanding job,” Antonio Pierce said on Friday. He’s been on the practice squad, he’s been active throughout his career here and this is a great opportunity for him going forward to step up.

Las Vegas product Jonah Laulu was casualty of Colts DT depth, bonus draft pick for Raiders

Raiders wanted to draft Las Vegas product Jonah Laulu. And thanks to the Colts deep DT room, the Raiders got him anyway

To be honest, this is one of the few years I can recall there being less struggling with predicting who the Raiders might keep and who they might cut. That’s not to say my predictions were perfect — they were pretty close — that’s to say there weren’t a lot of guys getting pushed out due to a numbers issue. Which is to say just too much talent at that position.

There were several positions, however, where they had the opposite problem. The most glaring was probably defensive tackle.

Outside the top three of Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, and Adam Butler, no one was stepping up to take the final couple spots on the depth chart.

So, when it came time for cuts, the Raiders were on the lookout for a player who was probably talented enough to make their roster, but still found themselves the odd man out on a more talented squad.

That was the case in Indianapolis. They had the good kind of problem where they are very deep at the position and so a tough cut had to happen. GM Chris Ballard had said it was the toughest position for him due to how deep it was.

The result was that both of the defensive tackles they waived were scooped up off the wire by other teams. Their 2022 fifth round pick Eric Johnson II was claimed by the Patriots and this year’s seventh rounder Jonah Laulu was claimed by the Raiders.

“I give Tom Telesco credit, now,” said Ballard of Raiders claiming Laulu. “Jonah, he’s probably not ready, but he will be one day. He’s going to be a good player.”

Telesco and Antonio Pierce were familiar with 6-5, 292-pouner because he is from Las Vegas and attended Centennial High School. And according to Pierce, the team was looking to draft him.

“Jonah was here at our local pro day, and I liked him,” said Pierce. “I was a little disappointed we didn’t get a chance to draft him, but you watch, you just look at your roster, you look at everybody else, you look at the waiver wire, and you make a decision. And we felt Jonah gives us some more depth and a little bit more juice in the D-line room.”

With Laulu available, the Raiders signed him and cut 2023 third round pick Byron Young who had a disappointing rookie season and didn’t appear to have improved any in this year’s camp and preseason.

Hard to say how much the Raiders were really looking to draft Laulu considering their last pick was at 229 where they selected CB MJ Devonshire and Laulu was picked at 234. Pierce and Telesco may have thought Laulu was draftable, but he just wasn’t at the top of their draft board when they picked. That’s how it happens sometimes.

Certainly with just 24 picks left in the draft, the Raiders were already working the phones and likely hoped they could land him as an undrafted free agent if nothing else. But the Colts made sure that didn’t happen.

No matter, in the end they got him anyway. And, for what it’s worth, they cut Devonshire as well and re-signed him to their practice squad.

Two former Colts’ draft picks claimed off waivers by other teams

Two former Colts’ draft picks who were released on Tuesday, were claimed by two other teams on Wednesday.

Following roster cuts, two recent Colts’ draft picks were claimed off waivers by two other teams.

Eric Johnson, a defensive tackle and fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2022, was claimed by the New England Patriots, and 2024 seventh-round pick and fellow defensive tackle Jonah Laulu was claimed by the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Colts would end up keeping five defensive tackles on their 53-man roster. The top of the depth chart was as expected with DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Raekwon Davis.

Adetomiwa Adebawore also made the team after an impressive summer, where refined technique and playing with more power resulted in more disruption.

The fifth spot, however, is what was up for grabs. The Colts ultimately went with Taven Bryan and his experience as a pass rusher. It was a pretty quiet preseason for Bryan, who recorded only one pressure, but SI’s Albert Breer spoke would call him a “camp surprise” during his training camp visit to Indianapolis this summer.

Johnson played 392 total defensive snaps in his first two seasons with the Colts, with 265 of them coming in 2023. Johnson was tasked with bolstering the run defense depth when Stewart wasn’t on the field, but he and Bryan would struggle to fill that role.

Laulu, meanwhile, is more of a developmental player, but it’s his versatility and athleticism that drew the Colts to him during the NFL draft.

Raiders cut 2023 third round DT Byron Young

Raiders cut 2023 third round DT Byron Young

After just one season and six game appearances, Byron Young has been cut. Despite an open competition at defensive tackle last season, the third round rookie barely saw the field. And now he’s been cut in favor of seventh rounders Nesta Jade Silvera and waiver claim Jonah Laulu.

Young admitted during camp that he had an attitude problem as a rookie last year. That he thought being a third round pick, he earned certain things and was angry he wasn’t given the benefit of the doubt. It’s admirable that he admitted that, but he’s still got to perform better. And from all indications, he didn’t.

He got pushed around all preseason, leading head coach Antonio Pierce to openly criticize the team’s defensive interior. Something had to give. And it was Young who gave…up his spot on the roster.

There is, of course, still a chance the Raiders could bring him back onto the practice squad. Just as they did when they cut 5th round DT Matthew Butler last year. But as of now, he’s out and has to work to prove he belongs on an NFL roster again.

Raiders claim 2 off waivers after roster cuts

Raiders claim 2 off waivers after roster cuts

Waiver claims have come through and with the 13th spot in the waiver order, the Raiders landed two of them.

The Raiders have claimed safety Thomas Harper off waivers from the Chargers and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu off waivers from the Colts.

Harper is an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame. He had played at Oklahoma State for four years before that. He had one pass breakups and two special teams tackles this preseason.

Laulu was a seventh round pick by the Colts last April out of Oklahoma. The 6-5, 292-pounder had 8.5 sacks of the past two seasons for the Sooners. He had four combined tackles this preseason.

The Raiders will need to make two roster moves in order to make room for the additions of Harper and Laulu.

Colts reportedly waiving 2024 draft pick DT Jonah Laulu

The Colts are reportedly waiving 2024 seventh-round pick and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu.

The Colts are reportedly moving on from one of their 2024 draft picks, waiving defensive tackle Jonah Laulu, according to Joel Erickson of the Indy Star.

Although Laulu is a recent draft pick, this move doesn’t come as a huge surprise, given the depth of the Colts’ defensive tackle position.

Laulu joined a crowded position group with DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and free agent signee Raekwon Davis at the top of the depth chart. We also saw the emergence this summer of second-year defender Adetomiwa Adebawore.

It’s possible that the Colts only roster four defensive tackles, especially when you consider that both Dayo Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis have the ability to play inside, bolstering the depth of that unit.

If the Colts do keep five, then Taven Bryan, a veteran pass rush presence, may be the favorite for that final spot.

I would guess that the Colts will want to get Laulu back on the practice squad, giving him a red-shirt-like year to develop. Coming out of the draft, what the Colts liked about Laulu’s game was his versatility and the athleticism he brings to the position.

Laulu played 74 defensive snaps in the Colts’ three preseason games, totaling four tackles and no pressures. He also played 11 special teams snaps.