The Oakland Raiders are one of five NFL teams that are eligible to be on Hard Knocks this season, and they appear to be the logical choice.
The Oakland Raiders are coming off a four-win season, a year that saw them struggle to play consistent football on both sides of the ball. Sure, they were in a lot of games, and lost some close ones, but with the roster they had in place, they were not going to be legitimate challengers in the AFC West.
The 2019 season should be a different story, as head coach Jon Gruden and first-year general manager Mike Mayock have completely reshaped this roster in a matter of months. First, they brought in Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers via a trade, giving Derek Carr that No. 1 wide receiver he has been missing.
Then, the tandem got to work in free agency, bringing in the top offensive tackle available in Trent Brown, and adding a quality defensive back in Lamarcus Joyner. Behind Brown at wide receiver, the Raiders also added guys like Tyrell Williams and JJ Nelson, two players who can take the lid off the defense.
Overall, the Raiders also had a stellar 2019 NFL Draft, as they have gotten rave reviews from nearly every media outlet. To close out the draft, Gruden and Mayock got to work on undrafted rookie free agents, getting one of the better classes in all of football.
All of this movement has brought to light the fact that the Raiders are one of four teams who are eligible for HBO’s Hard Knocks this season, and they appear to be a perfect fit for the show. This team has the right blend of personalities to make the show a hit, and guys like Gruden and Mayock have more than their fair share of experience in front of the camera.
Brown is a character, as is Carr, though you have to wonder what being the featured team on that show does for a team overall. Gruden may not want the cameras around him all preseason long, as he tries to turn around this franchise, an organization he once built up to be a Super Bowl contender.
The pieces are in place for this Raiders team to be much-improved in 2019, and while they have no say, the team likely does not want all the noise that comes with being on Hard Knocks. I will say this, it would be must-watch television if the Silver and Black get picked for the show this summer.