The Las Vegas Raiders stumbled their way to an 8-9 record this past season, a season that did not lack fireworks on and off the field. The team fired both their head coach and general manager on Halloween, turned to a rookie at quarterback, and finally found a defensive identity, making it one of the more interesting Raiders seasons in recent memory.
This offseason, there is hope that the new regime in place can finally get this franchise back to being a power in the AFC. While the loss of Josh Jacobs will hurt on the offensive side of the ball, Christian Wilkins being added to this defense will have a ripple effect, and we could see the best season yet from Maxx Crosby.
Overall, you have to like the Raiders roster going into the 2024 NFL Draft, but many experts feel it is going to be another down year in Las Vegas. With the way the Raiders played down the stretch for Antonio Pierce, they should continue to build on that momentum now that he is the full-time coach, but a strong draft class is needed to solidify this roster.
In a post-free agency Power Ranking by Sports Illustrated, the Silver and Black were ranked embarrassingly low.
Raiders ranked No. 30 of 32 NFL teams
Not only were the Raiders ranked very low in these rankings, but the fact that they were considered the third-worst team in the NFL is kind of laughable. There are many teams without the kind of star power the Raiders have, and both quarterbacks on the roster, Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew II, proved they could win games last season.
These rankings are likely based on the fact that there has not been much winning for this franchise in the last 20-plus years, but times are changing in Las Vegas. Pierce coaches with incredible passion, the team has rallied around him, and with a few more pieces to the roster this April, the Raiders should have a team that is good enough to shock some people this season.