At this time last year, the Raiders were viewed as a potential Super Bowl contender. The additions of Davante Adams and Chandler Jones were thought to be enough to put them over the top. That ended up not being the case as the Raiders missed the playoffs.
Now, the Raiders aren’t even being viewed as playoff contenders by most in the national media. Is that fair? And where should they be ranked heading into the rest of the offseason?
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they ranked all 32 teams heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Not surprisingly, the site listed the Raiders fairly low compared to the rest of the teams in the league, coming in at No. 22. Here is what they had to say about their offseason so far:
With a new quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo and a new receiver in Jakobi Meyers, will the Raiders be able to put together an above-average offense? Looking at the graphic below, Garoppolo had a lower turnover-worth play rate than (Derek) Carr and was similar in big-time throw rate.
If Garoppolo can prove to be an upgrade over Carr, the Raiders will have a chance at success this season. They are supremely talented on offense with two All-Pro skill players in Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams. And with the addition of Jakobi Meyers and the return of Hunter Renfrow, Garoppolo will surely have enough weapons to target in the passing game.
But the truth is that no one really believes that the Raiders will be a legit playoff contender. And that’s a good thing. The Raiders have always achieved the most when people have doubted them the most.
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