Las Vegas Raiders shouldn’t seek a trade for Matthew Stafford
By Brad Weiss
The focus should be on the defense this offseason
Over the past two years, the Raiders have used three first-round picks on the defense, and a second-round selection, though the unit continues to struggle. Also, they added what was hoped to be quality talent via free agency this past offseason, bringing in veterans like Maliek Collins, Cory Littleton, and Nick Kwiatkoski.
Unfortunately, the defensive coordinator was a real issue, and could not get the most out of all the talent the franchise brought in. Gus Bradley takes over for Paul Guenther for the 2021 NFL season, and he has to be hoping that the focus for this team will be the defensive side of the ball in free agency and the draft.
To make replacing Derek Carr a focus this offseason would be a mistake, as the offense certainly was not the problem last season. The offense finished eighth in the NFL in yards per game, seventh in passing, and averaged over 27 points per game.
In contrast, the defense was 25th in the league in yards allowed per game, and 30th in the league in points allowed per game, a glaring weakness that hurt the team down the stretch during the playoff push.
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While Stafford is certainly a tremendous quarterback, and will go somewhere and help them win, possibly Indianapolis, Atlanta, or another quarterback-needy team, the Raiders have to make the defense the focus of the offseason. No matter who the quarterback is that becomes available, there will always be Carr chatter, but no signs point to the team moving off of him at this point.