Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr’s supporting cast ranked last in AFC West

The Las Vegas Raiders added weapons for Derek Carr this offseason, but some feel the collective group is the worst in the AFC West.

Heading into this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders knew they needed help at the wide receiver group, as the position group as a whole struggled with injuries, and inconsistent play in 2019. To fix that issue, general manager Mike Mayock signed Nelson Agholor in free agency, before landing both Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards in the 2020 NFL Draft.

In addition, the offense brought back Jalen Richard, and spent a third round pick on Lynn Bowden Jr., a do-everything back that played quarterback, running back, and wide receiver at Kentucky. Finally, Jason Witten was added to an already impressive tight end group, giving Derek Carr the kind of weapons he needs to take this offense to the next level.

Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report recently released his rankings in terms of each quarterback’s collective supporting cast. Carr and company came in at No. 14 overall, right in the middle of the pack in the entire NFL, and dead last in the AFC West..

Knox states that the Raiders had issues at wide receiver last season, and they did a nice job bringing in players to upgrade the position group. He also said that if the group can connect, they could soar.

"Jacobs and Waller are budding stars, and Ruggs has the potential to become the legitimate No. 1 receiver that Carr has lacked for much of his career. This group could soar if everything falls into place."

That is a pretty good assessment in terms of the potential of this group, and so far this offseason, Carr has had his weapons out in the desert getting work in. They have already starting to gel as a unit, and that could mean trouble for their opposition in 2020.

Jacobs and Waller are elite at their positions

From a positional standpoint, the Raiders have two of the best in the game at both running back and tight end. Josh Jacobs exploded as a rookie last season, playing half the season with a fractured shoulder, while still rushing for over 1,100 yards. In 2020, he is expected to be worked into the passing game as well.

Darren Waller broke out in a big way in 2019, catching 90 passes, while becoming the kind of pass-catching tight end that can be the difference between an offense becoming elite, or not. Waller is only going to get better, and the Raiders were wise to sign him to an extension during the 2019 season.

Not surprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs were the No.1  ranked supporting cast behind Patrick Mahomes, an 11-spot jump from last year. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers also cracked the top-10, meaning this piece believes the Raiders have the least-impressive group of offensive weapons in the AFC West.