When it comes to the 2023 Las Vegas Raiders, there are plenty of question marks on both sides of the ball. The offense will turn to Jimmy Garoppolo after nine seasons of Derek Carr at the helm, and the defense still has question marks on all three levels.
However, when it comes to the specialists, the Raiders have some of the best in the game, including punter AJ Cole. In a recent ranking by CBS Sports, Cole came in as the No. 5 overall punter in the NFL, after being named All-Pro in 2021, and following that up with his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
In fact, Cole and fellow specialist Daniel Carlson were the only tandem from any NFL team to both crack the rankings at their respective positions. CBS has been ranking each position group's top-10 players going into the 2023 NFL season, and Carlson was rated the No. 2 overall kicker in the league.
Raiders nearing deadline for Josh Jacobs
On July 17, the window will close for all those star players who were given the franchise tag this offseason. Until then, teams can negotiate players with the tag to long-term deals, but once that window closes, they will have to wait until early January to get a new, long-term deal done.
Of course, for the Raiders, that means the window is closing soon on them getting a new deal done for Josh Jacobs, their star running back who led the NFL in both rushing and all-purpose yards last season. Jacobs' breakout season should land him a new deal with the Raiders, but paying running backs is tricky business, so this process has drawn out all spring and summer.
Jacobs is a key for the Raiders this season, as the team moves to Jimmy G at quarterback, and still has questions along the offensive line. He is only going to be 25-years old this season, so he is certainly young enough for a new deal, but will the Raiders commit to a position group that most teams refuse to pay their stars.