3 Ways the Russell Wilson trade affects the AFC West, Raiders
By Alex Perl
Raiders Playoff Hopes
The Raiders finally got over the hump in 2021 by reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
What has so far transpired after the season 2021 is unlike what most playoff teams, as they look to build upon their success – the Raider let go of their entire coaching staff and general manager who were instrumental in the Raiders success, despite overcoming obstacles in a season that saw just as many lows as highs.
No one is sure just how new head coach Josh McDaniels will succeed in his second tenure as a head coach, or if new general manager Dave Ziegler is in over his head in his first stint as general manager of an NFL team – whatever the case, for a team that will have to learn an entire new playbook and coaching style, there might be an adjustment period.
The AFC West division is one of the toughest in football, and this is indicative in the fact the division almost produced three playoff teams with the Chargers barely missing out last season.
For a Broncos team that accumulated seven wins with such putrid quarterback play, inserting someone as talented as Russell Wilson into the fold totally changes the narrative for this division.
Wilson will not only make the Broncos much more competitive but give the Raiders as well as the rest of the division a run for their money. The Broncos have many key pieces on offense and defense, and their biggest weakness for years has been the quarterback position. With a snap of the magic trade wand, that issue has now been remedied.
Las Vegas may not start the season 3-0 like last year, and it may take some time and patience to adjust to a new system, also the Raiders were “apparently” all in on adding star receiver Davante Adams in free agency – now that this is a pipe dream, the Raiders will have to upgrade their receiving corps with much weaker options such as Allen Robinson or JuJu Smith-Schuster.
A new coach and playbook for offense and defense alike will be a tall task for this team to get over, and now as they try to learn a new system, this might be a daunting task to take on a tough team in the Broncos who merely just added an arguable top-10 player at the quarterback position.