Las Vegas Raiders with heavy expectations entering the 2022 season
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled to play consistent football for the last 20 years, but that will change with heavy expectations on them in 2022.
It is officially June, and that means the training camp schedule for the Las Vegas Raiders will kick off later this month. This is a year like we have not seen in quite some time, as the Silver and Black are fresh off making the playoffs last season, and have some heavy expectations on them in 2022.
New head coach Josh McDaniels enters the fray, replacing interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who did an outstanding job taking over when Jon Gruden was fired. Bisaccia led the Raiders to four straight wins to close out the season, punching their ticket to the playoffs, where they lost in the Wild Card round to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now, the bar has been raised for this group, a talented roster that has brought in elite players on both sides of the ball this offseason. Sure, they play in a loaded division in the AFC West, but they have more than enough talent to come out on top, and getting even deeper in the playoffs has to be the expectation this season.
Raiders have the talent to make a deep run
Looking at the roster as a whole, the Raiders have the talent to be one of the best teams in the NFL this season, especially with Derek Carr entering his ninth season as the starting quarterback. Carr proved to be the unquestioned leader of this team in 2021, battling issues on and off the field while throwing for nearly 5,000 yards.
His best friend and former college teammate Davante Adams, who happens to be one of the best wideouts in the NFL has joined the Silver and Black, and the combination of him and Hunter Renfrow at wide receiver is going to be fun to watch. Darren Waller is healthy, the running back room is solid, and if the offensive line can figure it out, what defense is going to be able to stop this offense for four quarters?
The defense is also going to be improved, as Patrick Graham takes over as defensive coordinator, and talent was brought in on all three levels. Las Vegas will also pair Maxx Crosby with another elite edge rusher in Chandler Jones, so the Raiders should have no problem getting after the quarterback in 2022.
It is going to be a tough schedule, and many ups and downs this upcoming football season, but the franchise has raised the bar in terms of expectation, and this group has to be up for the challenge.