Las Vegas Raiders: Gus Bradley cannot afford a slow start in 2021
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders struggled mightily on defense throughout Paul Guenther’s entire tenure as defensive coordinator, so it was not a big shock when he was fired towards the end of last season. Rod Marinelli stepped in as the interim defensive coordinator to close out the year, but a fresh face was needed entering Jon Gruden’s fourth season back at the helm of the franchise.
That fresh face came in the person of Gus Bradley, who held that exact role for division-rival Los Angeles for the past four seasons. In Las Vegas, he is going to be expected to turn around a defense that was the cause for the team’s late-season collapse, a collapse that saw a 6-3 start turn into an 8-8 finish.
The Raiders’ defense is not void of talent, as they have some good young players who Bradley can help mold. Guys like Clelin Ferrell, Trayvon Mullen, Maxx Crosby, Maurice Hurst, and Johnathan Abram are all guys who have shown they can compete at a high level in the NFL, they just need to be consistent and put it all together.
Raiders defense must improve in a hurry in 2021
There is no doubt that the Raiders will be improving this defense this offseason, as general manager Mike Mayock has already said there are no ‘playmakers’ on that side of the ball. This is a team that does not force turnovers, or get after the quarterback, which is evident by them finishing towards the bottom of the league in points allowed per game last season.
In 2021, Bradley will not only be tasked with turning this group around but doing so in a hurry, as the fans are not going to allow a slow start on the defensive side of the ball. The hope is that there will be fans in the stands inside Allegiant Stadium for the 2021 NFL season, so Bradley better get this defense playing good football, and he better do it quick.
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This is Year 4 of the Jon Gruden return to the Silver and Black, and there still has not been a winning season, or playoff appearance, despite the team getting out to fast starts the last two seasons. Bradley is going to be key to this team getting to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and if he struggles, you can expect the fans to turn on him in a hurry.