The Las Vegas Raiders just had their most embarrassing loss of the season in a year that has been filled with them. The team fell to 2-5 on Sunday ahead of their Week 8 bye, as they suffered a 31-0 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the new brass of Pete Carroll and John Spytek shared their goals of competing right away, it is clear that this team is not in a position to make a run at the postseason. Instead, the Raiders could be in line to sell veteran pieces off ahead of the November 4 trade deadline.
There have been plenty of issues surrounding the organization, from roster construction to coaching to poor play on the field. Another problem that has not gone unnoticed by fans is that the Raiders' rookie class has hardly seen the field.
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With the Raiders not appearing to be going anywhere in 2025, fans have called for the team to embrace a youth movement and give more playing time to their rookie class. One reporter asked Carroll after Sunday's loss if he plans to play the team's young players more after the bye.
Carroll made the shocking comment that the team will give opportunities to their younger players, but seemingly only in practice.
"We've always done that, and we've always given the younger guys some extra opportunities in these practices because they've missed opportunities," Carroll said. "So, we've always done that, but we're going forward. We're moving ahead. The next game coming up is huge to us, and so we'll be preparing for that, simultaneously."
It sure sounds like Carroll intends to continue playing veteran players, as he intentionally separated the ideas of giving young guys opportunities in practice and preparing for the team's Week 9 bout against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Ashton Jeanty is currently the only rookie who has a consistent role on either side of the ball. While Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech have received some playing time -- and both played much more in Week 7 with Jakobi Meyers sidelined -- their roles have often alternated instead of playing together.
Jeanty and Thornton Jr. are the only rookies to play even 35% of the snaps this year. Meanwhile, third-round picks Darien Porter, Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers, along with early Day 3 picks Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues, have struggled to get any playing time, and Rogers hasn't seen the field.
Porter and Grant, in particular, need to see their roles increased coming out of the bye week. The Raiders have continued to give Kyu Blu Kelly and Stone Forsythe, who is playing in place of an injured Kolton Miller, plenty of playing time despite performing poorly.
While both Kelly and Forsythe were with Carroll when he was coaching the Seattle Seahawks, it is clear that neither should be starting, as they are not helping the team in the present and do not figure to be a major part of the future.
Instead, Porter should be the starting cornerback opposite Eric Stokes, while Grant, who played his first career offensive snap on Sunday, should be the starting left tackle. With the Raiders seemingly going nowhere in 2025, Las Vegas' focus should be on developing its young talent so they are ready to be full-time contributors next season. But Carroll doesn't seem to think so.