Raiders Super Bowl contenders? There is still work to be done
Raiders Super Bowl contenders? There is still work to be done
What makes the 2022 Raiders different than the past?
The Raiders aren’t only getting elite talent, but they’re doing it quietly and intelligently. Both the Adams and Ya-Sin deals were ongoing discussions lasting several days, and no one outside of either team’s building had any idea what was going on while it was happening.
The Ziegler and McDaniels duo has been quiet, thoroughly assessing each and every move while preparing safety nets in case plan-A falls through. The two have impressed NFL personnel around the league, being credited for their relentless efforts.
"“They are like college recruiters, that is impressive in the NFL.”"
It isn’t just that they’re getting this talent, either. They’re getting talent Las Vegas needs to take them to the next level while being financially responsible. The Raiders have acquired the best wideout in the league, as well as arguably the league’s best edge rusher, and still have some money left over to make another move or two.
The impact of some of the players Ziegler has brought in should be immeasurable. My piece on Chandler Jones’ impact can be found here, and here is where I break down Adams’ impact. Overall, we can sum it up like this: Arguably the best at their respective position, x2.
The Raiders air attack was nothing short of hard to watch once Henry Ruggs was let go. Although they started out on fire, they quickly fizzled in Ruggs’ absence, as the team’s wideouts were unable to create space time after time.
As I pointed out in my Adams piece, the Raiders had over 300 yards in 5 of their 7 contests with Ruggs. Without, they surpassed the 300 mark just 1 time in the remaining 9.
Adams not only changes this, but it’s hard to imagine any single receiver across the league could change it better than Adams can. They don’t refer to him as the best there is for a reason, whether he’s marching down the field or in the red zone. Adams isn’t just elite because he specializes in one thing; Adams is elite at virtually every aspect of the receiver position.
Add that to his pre-existing chemistry with Carr, and watch the magic happen.
The loss of Alec Ingold was a tough pill for Raider Nation to swallow, but new full-back Jakob Johnson is as good of a run-blocker as it gets. Johnson was often seen being the lead blocker on outside runs, allowing the ball carrier to get in for six. The loss of Jalen Richard makes third-downs difficult, or would’ve, had McDaniels not brought in Brandon Boldin as well.
When we go to Chandler Jones, his last [healthy] two years have been out of this world. In the two seasons combined, he’s forced 14 fumbles and tallied 29.5 sacks. He only appeared in five contests during the 2020 campaign, but the year before that, he was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
You pair this elite talent with the All-Pro Maxx Crosby, and suddenly opposing quarterbacks can’t sleep.
Last season, no team blitzed the quarterback less than the Las Vegas Raiders. Not only that, but no team used the same set more than the Raiders, either. Patrick Graham instantly changes both of those things. Graham is an extremely dynamic play-caller and preaches a love for versatile players he’s able to move around. These things both go a long way in keeping opposing offenses on their toes.
Mindset and play-calling of the defensive coordinator aside, the Raiders have simply upgraded their defensive talent. The loss of Casey Hayward stings, this is true, but Hayward is at his best in zone. There’s a reason Graham targeted the league’s no.1 man-corner last year, and it wasn’t to play a lot of zone. Ya-Sin may not have the same body of work as Hayward, but he’s the right man for this job.
The Raiders have made sure they’re deep at corner as well, with the addition of Averett. When Baltimore needed a corner in a pinch, Averett stepped up and showed he can compete with the best the NFL has to offer. The former Raven made some key plays last year, including a third-down breakup against Tyreek Hill. The new regime has brought in four corners since taking over.
Bringing in these corners on red-zone trips also helps reduce the number of scores you give up there. In 2021, the Raiders’ offense was ranked no.29 in red-zone conversion percentage. If you think it can’t get any worse, try this: No team in the NFL had a worse red-zone stop percentage than the ’21 Raiders defense.
The additions help turn both of these red-zone struggles around, something that desperately needed to change. Think about this – The Raiders were this bad on both sides of the ball in the red zone, and still finished 10-7 with a one-possession loss in the playoffs. Can you imagine how the season would’ve ended, even without these elite talent additions, had Vegas posted more reasonable percentages?