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3 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders are clearly rebuilding

By Micah McDonald

HENDERSON, NEVADA - JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders look on during the team's first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders look on during the team's first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 02: General manager Dave Ziegler of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on before the game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

They may not be saying it out loud, but with the current state of the roster, the Las Vegas Raiders are clearly in a rebuild.

The long-awaited free agency period came and the Las Vegas Raiders’ two biggest moves were signing former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and trading away tight end Darren Waller. Free agency is far from over obviously, but the majority of their signings thus far have been on the offensive side of the ball.

The two biggest names outside of Garoppolo are two of his former teammates in New England, Jakobi Meyers and Phillip Dorsett.

The team has yet to make any big splashes on the defensive side of the ball. They have brought in a few solid starters like safety Marcus Epps and linebacker Robert Spillane, but not anyone that really gets the blood flowing when it comes to big names.

As we speak, beat writer Vincent Bonsignore is reporting the Raiders are finalizing a deal with former Tampa Bay Buccaneer tight end O.J. Howard.

After the benching and eventual release of 9-year starter Derek Carr, it was clear that this new regime was going to bring in their guys and potentially overhaul the roster to set Las Vegas up for the long run. Some may call it a “retool”, which would indicate not as much work is needed as your traditional rebuild.

But who is to say they aren’t rebuilding from where the previous regime had them. Many will argue that they were just fine and dandy when they were sitting at 10-7 and making their first playoff appearance since 2016. I wholeheartedly believe that run was more of luck than roster sustainability.

Regardless of how you view the past, we are in the here and now. Right now the Raiders are going to have a new QB1 at the helm and many moving parts on the defensive side of the ball. That’s why I’m here to give you the top 3 reasons the Raiders are clearly rebuilding, and why it’s not as bad as it sounds.

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