LAS VEGAS — It was “Black Monday” around the NFL and there are now five teams looking for head coaches as Arizona and Houston are shopping along with Carolina, Denver and Indianapolis, which fired its coaches during the season.
In nearby Henderson, Josh McDaniels addressed the media secure in the knowledge he still has his job for now. But a repeat of the Las Vegas Raiders’ 6-11 2022 season and McDaniels can call the real estate agent to sell his home.
The Raiders’ struggles go well beyond quarterback. There’s issues with the defense, with the offensive line, and yes, with the head coach. McDaniels admits he himself needs to do a better job and the fact owner Mark Davis is going to afford him that opportunity should not be seen as a vote of confidence. The Raiders don’t need to be the Texans and have a revolving door leading into the head coach’s office. But McDaniels knows he’s on a short leash and vast improvement is expected immediately.
The Raiders will host the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium next February and Davis wants to at least have his team with a shot at playing in the big game. So it’s up to general manager Dave Ziegler to make the right decisions in rebooting the roster and for McDaniels to coach this team to where it can be in the mix for a postseason berth, then take its chances.
So what will the Silver and Black do? Here’s the areas they’ll likely be focusing on in the weeks and months ahead:
Quarterback
This is obviously Las Vegas’ most pressing concern. McDaniels said a discussion with Derek Carr will take place at the appropriate time, whatever the hell that means. But the fact is if Carr is still a Raider come Feb. 15, he’s going to be owed more than $40 million. I just don’t see that happening.
A trade? Perhaps. Carr can still play and put him with the right coach and the right situation, he can still be a very good performer in the NFL.
An outright release and let him make his own deal is also possible though I’d like to think Ziegler can get something in return for Carr.
We’ve discussed a number of options recently. Tom Brady. Jimmy Garoppolo. Aaron Rodgers, who sure looked like he was leaving Lambeau Field for the last time after the Packers were eliminated from playoff contention by the Lions Sunday night. Maybe Lamar Jackson. Perhaps even Jarrett Stidham, who started the last two games of the season for Carr, lost both, and didn’t appear ready to lead the Raiders back to the postseason in his audition, though he did have some positive moments.
Do the Raiders try and bring Brady to Vegas and at the same time, try to move up and draft a QB of the future (they currently pick seventh) and start over? Plus, will star receiver Davante Adams truly be in the loop in this process as the team indicated he would?
Offensive Line
Whoever the Raiders bring in to play quarterback will need some guys in front of him to keep him upright. This remains an ongoing issue as the team’s depth at the position has been tested year after year due to a constant barrage of injuries.
Simply put, continuity on the O-line is a big problem. Perhaps free agency helps address the situation. Maybe they select a lineman with the seventh pick if they can’t move up and get the QB they want.
But one way or another, this has to get settled if the Raiders are serious about getting to the playoffs and advancing. The skill positions are fine. Now it’s a matter of helping the quarterback find his targets.
Josh Jacobs
The NFL’s rushing leader with 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns, Jacobs did not sign a contract extension before the season, gambling he’d have a big year.
The gamble paid off. And now it’s time to get paid. The Raiders could slap their franchise tag on Jacobs and keep him in Las Vegas, which would kinda suck for him. But perhaps the two sides reach an agreement and Jacobs stays in Vegas for the right reasons. He’d be the perfect compliment to whoever is quarterbacking this team. I don’t think the team believes Zamir White, its fourth-round draft pick in 2022, is ready to take over as the No. 1 running back.
The Defense
The Raiders led the NFL with six blown first-half double-digit leads this year, losing five of those games. They win three of those five, they’re in the playoffs.
And this despite having one of the game’s best pass rushers in Maxx Crosby, who had another outstanding season. But the Raiders need more than one star if they’re going to stop the other team. They surrendered an average of 5.8 yards per play this season and even though the offense averaged 5.7 per, that’s not a formula for winning football.
They have to get better at linebacker and in the secondary. They need linebackers who can cover opposing running backs in the passing game, support the run and help cover tight ends. The secondary needs to play with speed and smarts, stay with receivers and be playmakers.
Las Vegas gave up way too many big plays through the air this season and to be honest, that was a problem going back to when Jon Gruden was the coach.
Perhaps the draft yields someone who can come in and play right away. Maybe they land a starter or two in free agency. But this is where Ziegler needs to really shine and prove his acumen as a football guy. Unless the defense improves, it won’t matter what happens on offense.
Coaching
McDaniels accepted responsibility after Saturday’s loss to the Chiefs saying he needs to do a better job going forward. He reiterated that Monday.
Some of the play-calling at times was a bit mystifying, particularly in short-yardage situations on third and fourth down. It seemed like the other team knew what was coming and got the stop.
Had there been some sort of comfort level between Carr and McDaniels with the playbook, with the play-calling and just an overall relationship, perhaps Carr is still calling signals for the Silver and Black. Of course, without being in the room with the two of them, we’ll never know what their relationship was truly like. But my observation was they didn’t seem to always be on the same page.
Will McDaniels shake up his staff? It’s a likely scenario. Maybe defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stays and some of his coaches leave. Maybe Graham himself is out. Or perhaps they all stay and they revise how they approach things.
The Raiders have to play smarter on both sides of the ball. They were called for 113 penalties this season. Only the Cardinals had more with 118. Many were drive-killers and when you are not operating at full capacity to begin with, the flags really make things worse.
Regardless of what happens, the Raiders need to coach better and adjust better during the game.
Looking ahead to 2023
Next year’s schedule has nine home games with both New York teams — the Giants and Jets — visiting Allegiant Stadium, along with the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings as well as AFC West foes Kansas City, Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers.
As we saw in the final two weeks of the 2022 season, the visiting team had more fans than the home team as the 49ers and Chiefs significantly outdrew the Raiders’ fan base. You know the Steelers and Packers, Giants and Jets will travel strong to Las Vegas as will the Vikings and even the Pats, who had a healthy turnout when they played here last month.
On the road, the Raiders are traveling to Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Indianapolis along with K.C., L.A. and Denver. It’s not an easy schedule but there are some potential interesting storylines, depending on who’s on the Las Vegas roster.
An Adams and or Rodgers vs. Packers reunion would be fun. If Carr is playing for say, the Dolphins or Jets, that would certainly get everyone’s attention. A December game in Buffalo is never fun if it turns out to be the case.
But it’ll be up to the Raiders to be a factor in their division. This season, they went 3-3 in the AFC West. That needs to climb above .500 for progress to be made.
I don’t see Ziegler tearing everything down and starting from scratch. It would be very difficult to sell yet another rebuild to Raider Nation. But the House of Al needs some fixing and Mark Davis has given his GM the tools and the responsibility to improve it. Let’s see how he does.
