Just Blog Baby
FanSided

Oakland Raiders rebuild has accelerated this offseason

By Brad Weiss

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Jon Gruden (L) and Owner Mark Davis (R) of the Oakland Raiders talking with each other while looking on as their team warms up prior to the start of a preseason NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Jon Gruden (L) and Owner Mark Davis (R) of the Oakland Raiders talking with each other while looking on as their team warms up prior to the start of a preseason NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

After a stunning offseason so far in 2019, the Oakland Raiders look like a team that is in “win-now” mode in what could be their last season in the Bay Area.

Last season, the Oakland Raiders put together a 4-12 record, as they struggled in Jon Gruden’s return to the sidelines. Once the season ended, the Raiders began to put the pieces in place for a rebuild of the roster, and the thought was they would build the team up for the move to Las Vegas in a year.

However, it is beginning to become clear that this team is in “win-now” mode, especially after all the moves new general manager Mike Mayock has pulled off since taking over in his new role. First, Oakland went out and got their elite wide receiver, trading a third and fifth round pick for Antonio Brown, who is the best weapon quarterback Derek Carr has ever had.

Since then, they have added talent up and down the roster, and look like a team that could really turn heads in 2019. There were a ton of holes on this roster heading into the offseason, but Mayock and Gruden have filled a lot of them, and can now turn their focus to the 2019 NFL Draft, where they hold four of the first 35 selections.

Carr is a legitimate franchise quarterback, and now that he has elite weapons on the outside, expect a monster season from him. On the other side of the ball, Oakland has revamped their linebacker group, added talent to the secondary, and brought back Johnathan Hankins, who played a huge role in his first season in the Silver and Black in 2018.

The Raiders still need to figure out the edge rusher spot, as they were historically bad at getting after the quarterback last season. They managed to log only 13 quarterback sacks, and with only Arden Key and Josh Mauro on the current roster, you can expect Mayock to target that position group early in the draft this April.

Next. Oakland Raiders dominating the 2019 NFL offseason. dark

There is still a lot of work to be done this offseason, but looking around the AFC West, Oakland definitely improved their roster the most so far in 2019. Sure, they had a lot more work to do than teams like Los Angeles and Kansas City, but based on the talent they have brought in since the league year began, it is not out of the realm of possibility that this team challenges for a Wild Card this season.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News