2021 was an eventful season for the Raiders. Jon Gruden resigned midseason in the wake of allegations of homophobic and misogynistic behaviour. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia took over as the interim head coach, winning seven games and taking the team to the playoffs. A loss to the Bengals in the wild card round ended their season, before GM Mike Mayock was fired. Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler subsequently came over from New England to fill the head coach and GM vacancies respectively, with 2022 set to look very different in Vegas.
Offseason additions and losses
The Raiders made headlines by completing one of the biggest trades of the entire offseason, shipping a first and second round pick to Green Bay in exchange for the best wide receiver in football in Davante Adams. In doing so they reunite Adams with his college quarterback, Derek Carr. They made some nice moves on defense too. Yannick Ngakoue was swapped for Rock Ya-Sin in a trade with the Colts, helping to bolster their secondary. They then brought in Chandler Jones to replace Ngakoue, giving them one of the league’s best pass rushing duos.
The Raiders didn’t have any big name free agents depart, though the loss of Casey Hayward will have more of an impact than people might expect. Hayward was one of the few reliable pieces on a weak secondary in 2021 but will now ply his trade in Atlanta. On the offensive side of the ball there wasn’t much movement except for a number of depth receivers, with Zay Jones, Desean Jackson, and Bryan Edwards all ending up in pastures new for 2022.
2022 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 3.90 | Dylan Parham – IOL, Memphis |
| 4.122 | Zamir White – RB, Georgia |
| 4.126 | Neil Farrell – IDL, LSU |
| 5.175 | Matthew Butler – IDL, Tennessee |
| 7.238 | Thayer Munford – OT, Ohio State |
| 7.250 | Brittain Brown – RB, UCLA |
The Davante Adams trade meant that the Raiders had to wait until the third round to make their first pick. Whilst it might not have been the most exciting class, there was a noticeable lack of head-scratching selections that have characterised recent Raiders draft classes. Parham is a talented prospect who could very easily end up as the team’s starting center in his rookie year. With the team declining Josh Jacobs’ fifth year option, Zamir White feels like he could be the Raiders’ long-term lead back. Matthew Butler is the other name to watch out for in 2022. He won’t start, but has the tools to be an effective rotational lineman.
Offense
There’s reason to be legitimately excited about the Raiders’ offensive potential in 2022. They were an average unit in 2020 in spite of all of the dysfunction surrounding the team and the loss of Darren Waller for six games. They now boast two of the best players in the league at their respective positions in Waller and Davante Adams. Adams will also be reuniting with Derek Carr after they played together at Fresno State, where Adams had 3,030 yards and 38 touchdowns in just 26 games. To top it off, they also benefit from one of the best slot receivers in the game in Hunter Renfrow.
Derek Carr might divide opinion at quarterback, but he is a very talented player. Although he isn’t in the top tier talent at the position, he has consistently shown himself to be an above average starter for the Raiders. Since 2019, Carr ranked 11th in quarterback efficiency rating, ahead of players like Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott. He also finished 2021 with the sixth highest big-time throw rate of any starting quarterback. With him under center the Raiders should be confident of this offense’s potential in 2022.
The one cause for concern is their offensive line, which has the potential to be the team’s kryptonite. They admittedly have an outstanding left tackle in Kolton Miller, but outside of him it is worryingly thin on talent. Alex Leatherwood allowed a league-high 65 pressures in 2021. Brandon Parker allowed the seventh most with 53. Left guard John Simpson allowed the 10th most amongst interior linemen. If these players can’t improve it won’t matter how good their receiving weapons are, as Carr won’t have long enough in the pocket to find them.
Defense
The big news on defense was the decision to appoint Patrick Graham as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Graham comes over from the Giants and will bring a huge shift in defensive philosophy. Whilst Gus Bradley was known for running a traditional Cover 3 scheme, Graham is part of the Bill Belichick coaching tree and is multiple in his approach. This means a wider array of plays and a far more creative front seven when it comes to stunts, twists, and blitzes.
It won’t be easy for Graham to turn this unit around, but the addition of Chandler Jones is sure to help. The two actually spent three years together in New England when Graham was the defensive line and linebackers coach. Jones will team up with Maxx Crosby who has established himself as one of the game’s best pass rushers. Crosby led the NFL with 101 pressures in 2021, joining JJ Watt and Aaron Donald as the only players to hit triple digit pressures since 2006.
The question facing the Raiders is whether there is enough quality elsewhere to be consistent in a tough division and conference. Their lack of a true alpha at cornerback is noticeable. Travon Mullen and Rock Ya-Sin are good CB2s, but both will struggle against top receivers. Casey Hayward was their best cornerback in 2021 and his departure will hurt more than many realise. They have a talented free safety in Trevon Moehrig who should improve further in his second year, but Jonathan Abram continues to be a liability at the other safety spot. This inconsistency will cause them problems against better offenses.
Prediction
The Raiders have the weapons on offense to challenge any defense in the NFL and they should be a really exciting team to watch in 2022. That said, the offensive line remains a real concern and there are some legitimate holes in the secondary. At best they are the third best team in the AFC West and they could very easily finish in last place when all is said and done. The inconsistent quality across the roster will likely leave them as a fairly average team in 2022.
