Las Vegas Raiders shown no love in latest ESPN 2020 power rankings

ESPN ranks the Las Vegas Raiders No. 21 overall

While the fan base may be split on Carr, the fact is that he has put together two nice seasons, statistically since Gruden’s arrival. The problem is, he has only throw for 40 touchdowns across those two seasons, and the team really fizzled out towards the end of 2019, losing five of six, and seeing Carr get booed out of the Coliseum.

He is playing with a chip on his shoulder this summer, and despite the team bringing in Marcus Mariota, he is not going to be unseated at quarterback any time soon. The real question is about this defense, and as the piece points out, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is fully on the hot seat entering his third season at the helm of one of the worst units in football.

All of that could change thanks to the new faces on that side of the ball, including linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, who have helped improve that position group. The secondary has some new talent, as does the defensive line, so if Guenther cannot get this thing moving in the right direction, Gruden has his right hand man, Rod Marinelli, waiting in the wings.

We are still 18 days away from the Raiders opener on the road against the Carolina Panthers, and the roster is still be rounded out as we speak. There is more talent and depth on this team than there has been in a long time, and if they can take the next step forward on defense, there is no reason why this team can’t exceed expectations in 2020.