No team in the NFL has had a busier offseason than Las Vegas. Outside of making a massive quarterback change, the Raiders have completely revamped their offense and added a ton of new names on defense.
But what grade would you give the Raiders for their moves? And are they a better team now than they were at this time last year?
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he graded every team’s off-season moves. The Raiders received a passing grade, getting a C+ from Monson. Here are his thoughts on the moves by the Raiders this offseason:
After Derek Carr‘s Raiders tenure ended unceremoniously last season, the team needed a new plan at quarterback. Settling on Jimmy Garoppolo as the answer felt like a very underwhelming resolution, particularly when it was followed up by avoiding a quarterback in the draft until the fourth round.
Jakobi Meyers gives them a strong receiving corps, but they did trade away Darren Waller to the Giants before filling that space with Michael Mayer in the draft. Between free agency and the draft, the Raiders were one of the most active teams in the league; it’s just not immediately clear that they got a whole lot better in the process.
The biggest move the Raiders made was swapping Derek Carr for Jimmy Garoppolo. On paper, that looks like a lateral move (at best), but there is a chance that Garppolo is just a better fit under Josh McDaniels.
If that’s the case, the Raiders should be a much better team in 2023. But if that move fails, the entire offseason will be considered a loss for Las Vegas. Needless to say, the Raiders have put all of their chips on Garoppolo and are hoping he can be the difference this season.
