By Jack McNicholas 

May 18, 2020

Many experts think the hot seat is under head coach Jon Gruden. In his third season out of his ten-year contract, the team truly has a hot seat under quarterback Derek Carr. Carr has been subject to scrutiny during the past couple of seasons. This year, he will have to make some major changes or he won’t get to enjoy the Raiders shiny new stadium for very long.  

This year’s main focus is to give Derek Carr the tools to succeed. The foundation in place with a young team only increases the speculation that they can be a team to watch in 2020. While all eyes are on Gruden as the team makes its move to a new home in Las Vegas, the first thought when considering where the Raiders stand next season is their division. The AFC West race has the Chargers, Broncos and Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs. All three teams have improved on offense during the offseason. This Raiders offense needs a spark. However, there are bright spots like Josh Jacobs going into his second season after a solid rookie campaign and he will be the star of the run game. Expect him to receive the full workload. This offense ranked 24^th (19.6 PPG) in the league last season and they will need to score more than 20 points if they want to be a competitive team. Derek Carr’s run game helps take pressure off of him. 

There is a new rookie coming to town. The first pick of the Las Vegas era, Henry Ruggs who was the first of two first round picks for the team will improve this receiving corp right away and take the second cover man off Darren Waller. The Raiders have need for speed on the outside. Ruggs was the team’s first selection for a reason. His 4.27 40-yard dash was the fastest at the combine at any position in 2020. At Alabama, he was in a system where they had to spread the ball out to the receivers. In the last two seasons, Ruggs still made a name for himself despite sharing the workload. Over the last two seasons Ruggs caught 18 touchdowns on 86 catches. His 17.4 yards per catch in that span truly shows how he will be a plug and play star for this offense.  After becoming a star on Hard Knocks last summer, Darren Waller was the team’s top receiver last year in his first year as a full 16 game starter for a team and he did not disappoint. With 90 catches on 117 targets (77% catch rate), 1,145 yards, 3 touchdowns. Next year his touchdowns will improve tremendously. With a catch percentage that high the potential is through the roof for Waller.  Waller along with Ruggs will be instrumental to this team’s success in 2020. This offense will have a different look but the same coach with a fire in his heart leading the team.

The Las Vegas Raiders defense has not been at the same level since the team traded away Khalil Mack two seasons ago. They were middle of the pack as a unit last season. Ranking 18^th in the league allowing 354.8 YPG. The team allowed the ninth most points in the league last year. In a division full of high-octane offenses the Raiders will have to keep up. The aforementioned Cory Littleton was an excellent addition to this defense.  After going undrafted in 2016, Littleton made a name for himself on the stacked Rams defense over the last two seasons, starting every possible game and accumulating 159 tackles and seven and a half sacks. Littleton adds a pass coverage linebacker to this defense that desperately needs one. His five interceptions over the last two seasons show that he is ready for that defensive scheme in Las Vegas. 

A player to watch is 2019 first round safety Jonathan Abrams. Abrams missed all but his first game of his rookie season due to a torn rotator cuff. His return is much anticipated. His tackling ability and his vocal leadership will do wonders for this defense. The most talented section of the defense is the defensive line. This defensive line includes young talent but has a high ceiling of potential. Maxx Williams had a breakout rookie season despite being a fourth round pick. Maurice Hurst is a force in the middle of the line at defensive tackle. Clelin Ferrell is a name to watch as he must prove himself as he was a top four selection just a year ago. 

The second first round selection was a shocker to most Damon Arnette. General Manager Mike Mayock had his name written all over this pick. Arnette had injury concerns and was not even the top corner on his team at Ohio State. His high draft selection shows that Mayock must see something in Arnette that the others don’t or he felt he was perfect for the system. Being drafted higher comes with pressure to work hard and live up to where you are selected.  

This young Raiders team has a lot of reason for fans to question their potential. With a division full of highly potent offenses. Derek Carr will need to throw better than his 62.2 QBR last season. The Raiders have potential to improve drastically this season. The question marks in their drafting make it hard to show a case for improvement. They understand that they have had some time to adjust to the Gruden culture. Gruden wants to win, he has done it before. This season the Raiders are a team to watch as they have set their offense up for future success. Josh Jacobs will be a household name for this team. The Raiders must take advantage of having the 21^st most difficult schedule coming into the season. With the new playoff schedule in place the Raiders finished eighth in the AFC Conference last season, and with the new seven seed playoff schedule the Raiders are on the bubble. 2020 is the year they can take advantage. Just win, baby.