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3 Possible Scapegoats for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022

By Joshua Terrill

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 21: The 95-foot-tall Al Davis Memorial Torch is shown behind empty stands after it was turned on during an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Saints 34-24. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 21: The 95-foot-tall Al Davis Memorial Torch is shown behind empty stands after it was turned on during an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Saints 34-24. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 26: Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock of the Oakland Raiders of the North Team talk before the start of the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019, in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 26: Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock of the Oakland Raiders of the North Team talk before the start of the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019, in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

3 Possible Scapegoats for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022

Scapegoat #2: Jon Gruden & Mike Mayock

Despite their absences, the Raiders’ former regime of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are unlikely to escape any blame if the Silver and Black struggle to find success this season.

Gruden was let go last season after Week 5 and Mayock was terminated following their Wild Card loss to the reigning AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. The fact of the matter is, however, that their fingerprints are still all over this Raiders team.

Gruden and Mayock’s 2019 first-round selections still loom large. Jonathan Abram is still trying to find his niche as a safety who cannot cover and Josh Jacobs has struggled to stay healthy at the game’s most replaceable position. Worst of all, Clelin Ferrell is anything but a lock to make the final 53-man roster, at this point.

Continuing on, the Raiders’ biggest question mark remains their offensive line, the same offensive line that was a top-10 unit in the league before Gruden and Mayock gutted it. They refused to pay Rodney Hudson and traded away Gabe Jackson for little return. Not to mention the significant whiffs by the pair at the tackle position, such as signing Trent Brown and drafting Alex Leatherwood (too soon?).

The true holes that the 2022 Raiders seem to have are the leftovers of Gruden and Mayock. If these same holes are to the team’s detriment, Gruden and Mayock will be blamed more than anyone.

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