By Ed Condran
It’s a time of transition for the Las Vegas Raiders, but that doesn’t have to be a negative. Last season, The Silver and Black fired coach Josh McDaniels and named Antonio Pierce the interim replacement. Pierce finished the season strong with the Raiders, who surprised by winning five of their last nine games to finish second in the AFC West.
The offensive game for the Raiders has changed considerably since the season started. The latest alteration is the departure of potential Hall of Fame wide receiver Davante Adams, who demanded a trade and was dealt to the New York Jets for a conditional third-round pick.
The rest of the Raiders’ wide receiver room will have a chance to emerge. The wideouts, Alex Bachman, Tyreik McAllister, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, all have upsides, and each is in his 20s.
The Raiders have made the quarterback transition from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O’Connell, who is two years younger than his predecessor. It’s about the future for the Raiders, who were a poor fit for the expensive Adams, who has reunited with his pal, Aaron Rodgers.
There were several positives for O’Connell, who started 10 games as a rookie in 2023, with his return as a starter against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers defense. However, a few mistakes by the team doomed the Raiders against the latest version of the Steel Curtain.
O’Connell suffered a fractured thumb Oct. 20 against the Rams and will be out 4-6 weeks. (The drama continues!) even with Adams’ departure and a new starting quarterback, it can likely only get better for a Raiders offense that has been in a tailspin since the season commenced. Through six games, the Raiders are 26th in the league in total offense with 293 yards per game and 31st in rushing offense with 79.5 yards per game and 27th in scoring offense with 18.2 points per contest.
The Raiders’ defense needs to transition from a team that fails to force turnovers into a squad that causes fumbles and picks off passes. Cornerback Jack Jones has been quite vocal about how the Raider defense needs to be the aggressor. After six games, the Raiders ranked 31st in the league in turnovers through six games with just two.
Another point in transition is that the Raiders are becoming Brock Bowers’ team. The highly touted rookie has lived up to the hype. Bowers was a surprise pick since the Raiders already have a quality tight end in Michael Mayer. However, Bowers is an elite player who could become the finest tight end in the NFL.
Pierce has much to accomplish, but it’s apparent who the coach will lean on, and the good news for The Silver and Black is that most of those pieces are young and capable of making a positive impact.
