The Raiders have had quite a busy offseason. They’ve moved on from Jimmy Garoppolo and have since replaced him with Gardner Minshew. They left former All-Pro RB Josh Jacobs walk and have only replaced him with Alexander Mattison.
They’ve also added Christian Wilkins to their defensive line and can now pair him with perennial Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby. That move alone will make the Raiders more of a threat in 2023. But just how much have the Raiders improved so far?
In a recent article by The Athletic, they ranked all 32 teams coming out of the first two weeks of free agency. The Raiders moved up one spot, coming in at No. 21. Here is a snippet of what they had to say about Las Vegas and their future:
The Raiders gave Minshew a two-year deal worth up to $25 million, which makes it seem like they are resigned to going into 2024 with Minshew as their starter. However, don’t rule out the Raiders trying to get into the trade-up conversation in April to get a quarterback. After losing Jacobs, wide receiver Davante Adams is going to start feeling lonely in Las Vegas if the Raiders don’t get a promising quarterback.
One of the biggest reasons why it’s hard to get behind this version of the Raiders is due to their quarterback play. While Gardner Minshew could prove to be an upgrade, it just isn’t enough in a conference with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and C.J. Stroud, among others.
The Raiders have to get better at QB soon, but they are running out of avenues to improve that position. We shall see if the NFL Draft brings a new quarterback to Las Vegas because that is likely their only hope of contending with the top teams in the AFC.
