Raiders Opinion: Erasing The Past Clears Path To Better Seasons

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After years of frustrating personnel moves, the Las Vegas Raiders, at last, appear to correct course.

This is the first off-season where I didn’t question the Raiders’ every move. Then the team waived 2021 first-round pick, Alex Leatherwood. He would get picked up by the Chicago Bears, which saved the Raiders some dead money. They also traded 2019 second Trayvon Mullen to the Arizona Cardinals. Vegas got a late and conditional pick for their best corner last few years. Meanwhile, Jalen Reagor went for more than both players combined.

Moving On

Raiders fans have been through enough transitions to know players get cut when new regimes come in. We get it, this regime had no ties to the old players. A new sheriff is in town and a message must be sent that we won’t tolerate less-than-salary performance. However, what about the Raiders fans who rooted for and watched these guys get to experience the last few years? How many chances did Menelik Watson, David Sharpe, and Brandon Parker get? Leatherwood doesn’t get half of that opportunity. How many bad corners have the Raiders drafted or signed? Mullen was the best one when you consider D.J. Hayden, Gareon Conley, and Damon Arnette all flopped.

Settle Your Debts

Don’t you owe it to fans to find a better trade earlier for Mullen? Or how about trying Leatherwood at guard through an entire season? This team’s issue for the last two decades has been developed. The new regime must solve that problem to sustain success. Do not ship talent out who have developed or give up on guys early.

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Questionable Motives

Both players never really seemed like culture fits. It’s hard to develop a player like Leatherwood who already suffers from a lack of confidence. It’s hard to make a veteran like Mullen keep proving himself. You can’t always earn your keep when your bosses didn’t hire you and definitely don’t believe in you now. Mullen needed to prove he could stay healthy to get his second contract but he started camp with an injury. The team had already signed a potential replacement in Anthony Averett and traded for Rock Ya-Sin. At least they got something for Mullen, right?

The Light Never Turned On

For Leatherwood, he didn’t look great at guard in spots last year. Most of his issues were at the point of attack and through contact. Those don’t fix themselves with a simple move inside but the pass pro issues could have worked themselves out with Leatherwood moving to guard for a full offseason. Vegas opted for another team to hold some of the contracts and figure out Leatherwood’s future. Some of the issues also came from him being thrown out there too early last year.

Contingency Plan

What’s done is done. Hopefully, this team has a contingency plan. They’re solid at corner barring any injuries. However, their offensive line was already down to tackle Brandon Parker, who got injured in the preseason. Their depth was already a stretch. Will the Raiders look to add a veteran? Eric Fisher and Ereck Flowers fit the build. Fisher knows the division and Flowers knows similar offenses. Both guys can play inside and outside. Both have played on either side. Daryl Williams could be a nice fit too. Former Patriots tackles Marcus Cannon and Nate Solder are both out there as well.

Free Agent Market Opens

At cornerback, the Raiders have plenty of veteran options who might have some gas. Joe Haden, Chris Harris, Janoris Jenkins, A.J. Bouye, Xavier Rhodes, and Jimmy Smith have all proven themselves. They could bring back Desmond Trufant who played better than most people thought last year. There are other versatile pieces with first-round athleticism and hunger to prove themselves. I’ve always thought Kevin King should be a Raider. He might even be able to play safety or corner too.

Shallow Depth

Either way, the Raiders need to know what guys they like. They’re an injury away from absolutely having to rely on the free agency market. Not to mention, their roster could use an extra spark at tackle or receiver. That’s why you heard the Ndamukong Suh rumors and I’m sure we’ll start hearing Odell Beckham Jr. rumors as the season goes on. Don’t sell me on any practice squad guys if we’re trying to compete for the playoffs in the toughest division now. It only gets harder to find value there as the season moves on. They’ll need the fifteen million they have in cap space to sign a player who can make an impact. Would they also leverage future draft picks for another big-name player?

Dead Money Woes

The Raiders now owe $40 million in dead money. That includes small hits for trading Mullen and Bryan Edwards. It also includes some funds for Kyler Fackrell, Darius Phillips, and DeMarcus Robinson to name a few. All veterans were brought in by this regime to compete. Vegas also has ghosts of the last regime on the bill. Three former first-round draft picks including Henry Ruggs all represent dead money from draft picks. Kenyan Drake, Carl Nassib, and Yannick Ngakoue, among others, were all once key free agency signings hanging under dead money allocation.

Unprecedented Waters

It’s not often a new coach and general manager get a playoff roster. The Raiders also made headlines with their chemistry as everyone reported to camp. Remember, this Raiders team is off their first playoff appearance in a handful of years. They were a few plays away from ending a 20-year playoff-win drought. This regime is in a unique space as far as what they inherited. They don’t have to rebuild completely but they can easily mess it all up and throw it all away.

Big Gamble

The entire AFC West division got better. That’s why the team traded for Davante Adams and signed Chandler Jones. They are trying to retool and adjust, instead of tearing down the entire roster. However, they’ve made their fair share of lateral and questionable moves. If they don’t deliver and execute, best believe the Raiders fans are headed for another rebuild and another long playoff drought. Time will tell what happens to Mullen and Leatherwood after their time in Silver and Black. The rest of Raider Nation will have to sit back and watch all our chips on head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Hopefully, these gambles pay off and the Raiders continue to win this year, baby!