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Las Vegas Raiders Wish List for the 2020 season

By Jordan Alexis

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at RingCentral Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at RingCentral Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 22: Wide receiver Tyrell Williams #16 of the Oakland Raiders runs for a first down before he is pushed out of bounds by cornerback Casey Hayward #26 of the Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter of the game at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 22, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 22: Wide receiver Tyrell Williams #16 of the Oakland Raiders runs for a first down before he is pushed out of bounds by cornerback Casey Hayward #26 of the Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter of the game at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 22, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Speed, speed and more speed

Perhaps the biggest flaw on the Raiders roster is their lack of speed on both sides of the ball.

On offense, fans have been very critical of the Raiders’ tendency to throw a ton of short passes, and the numbers do bear that out. Derek Carr is currently last in the league in average intended air yards according to next-gen stats. However, this is also a product of how Jon Gruden wants to play, so they must continue to add players to fit this scheme.

With their style of offense, Oakland needs to find some playmakers that can take these quick passes and create explosive plays. On offense, they currently rank 18th in plays over 20+ yards and 14th in plays over 40+ plays. Whether it is through the draft or in free agency, Oakland has a ton of flexibility to address this area of need, so this should be a top priority.

They can also use more speed on defense, particularly in the middle of the field. The slow play of the linebacker in pass coverage is an issue that is very evident anytime you watch a game. It will be fascinating how the Raiders handle this, especially if they retain Paul Guenther as defensive coordinator. He has never been one to encourage high spending on the linebacker position, but the holes may be too massive to ignore.

If the Raiders want to achieve their ultimate goals in the future, they are going to have to match the speed of the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland’s style of play is not always going to work against a team that can strike as quickly as the Chiefs, so they need to ability to mix it up on offense and matchup on defense.

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