It’s obvious where this team needs to improve
Look no further than the most basic statistic in football to identify where the Raiders need to upgrade following an 8-8 season.
Points scored:
434. Pretty good.
Points allowed:
474: Beyond awful.
Those are your high-brow analytics for the Raiders’ offseason.
To be fair, the points allowed total includes three touchdowns scored by the opposing defense. And it’s still beyond awful.
Coach Jon Gruden was non-specific at his season- ending press conference but alluded to continuity in the secondary and pass rush both inside and outside. Gruden, along with general manager Mike Mayock, will be working overtime to shore up the worst Raiders’ defense in the Super Bowl era.
Defense is the biggest issue, but let’s face it — the Raiders knew their defense was poor when they were 6-3 and were helpless in the plunge to 8-8 because their offense had issues running the ball, scoring touchdowns in the red zone and with turnovers.
Their defense needs an overhaul in terms of system, vision and personnel. The offense needs help as well.
Five areas which the Raiders have already begun studying closely with regard to 2021:
1. HIRE A DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR >> Gruden said the Raiders were going to move “quickly. What little information there is on the process suggests they’re talking with assistants who either he or interim coordinator Rod Marinelli have had experience with. Gus Bradley, Kris Richard, Joe Barry and Raheem Morris in particular.
Gruden has coached with all four. Richard, who has been a head coaching candidate before, took last year off rather than accept a position coach position. Richard took over defensive playcalling for Marinelli while with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018.
The coordinator is only the start. After giving up 478 points, the Raiders can be expected to make sweeping changes on the defensive staff after they identify their coordinator. Then they’ve got to hope there is some kind of off-season to implement changes in the system. In terms of the system, based on the names so far, expect a lot of Tampa 2 and Seattle Seahawks style of defense. Gruden said at his season-ending press conference he’s partial to a 4-3 defense as his base.
2. IDENTIFY AN EDGE RUSHER >> There are no obvious Khalil Macks out there, so that name and the Raiders’ decision to trade him following t1he 2017 season will come up again. But the Raiders desperately need help outside for Maxx Crosby with Clelin Ferrell having the look of a twodown base end, Carl Nassib struggling as a free agent and Arden Key barely getting a whiff of the quarterback in 2020.
Free agency may or may not include the Ravens’ Matt Judon, the Buccaneers’ Shaquil Barrett, the Ravens Yannick Ngakoue and the Rams’ Leonard Floyd. Barring a franchise tag or resigning with their team, they could be on the market. And only Mark Davis knows if he’s got the cash to reel in a big one.
The no- doubt- about-it edge player doesn’t appear to be available through the draft, either. More likely, that player will come mid-round — which is exactly where the Raiders are at No. 17. You’ll be hearing a lot soon about names such as Gregory Rousseau (Miami), Kwity Paye (Michigan), Azeez Ojulari (Georgia) and Joseph Ossai (Texas).
3. SECONDARY CONCERNS >> Receivers came into the clear all season to a startling degree and when the Raiders had chances to make plays, it seldom happened. Both cornerback and safety were problems.
It’s imperative the Raiders, in the spirit of committing to a “draft and develop” strategy, get first-round picks Johnathan Abram (2019) and Damon Arnette (2020) up to speed. Trayvon Mullen, a second-round pick in 2019, had moments where he looks like the classic angular cover corner.
Coaching should help this area immensely, as would a semblance of a pass rush (see second item). If the Raiders want to go the Jason Witten route, there would be no better player to put in the meeting room along with Abram, Arnette and Mullen than Richard Sherman, who seems resigned to leaving the 49ers.
Of course, Sherman would want to have to come to the Raiders and the Raiders would probably have to write a check bigger than what they’re comfortable with.
4. DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS AT TACKLE >> If the Raiders aren’t willing to risk another $14 million on Trent Brown, or Brown isn’t willing to take less money, then they’ve got a hole at right tackle where a 380-pound man used to be for 16 games over the past two seasons.
Those who played at right tackle aside from Brown were veteran Sam Young, Brandon Parker, Denzelle Good (in an emergency) and Patrick Omameh (also in an emergency). Brown, Young, Good and Parker were all starters at some point.
None of those figures as the 2021 starter unless they saw enough from Parker, who played well when the Raiders were running 40 times a game and then went back to being inactive late in the season. If there are no edge rushers to the Raiders liking in the first round and Brown isn’t a factor, the firstround pick could be a tackle.
5. WHAT HAPPENS WITH MARCUS MARIOTA? >> Unless you’re willing to depart with Darren Waller and something along the lines of first and second-round draft picks over the next few years, you can forget about Deshaun Watson if he and the Houston Texans have irreconcilable differences.
Do the Raiders bring back Marcus Mariota after flashing some potential in one start at the cost of $10 million to back up Derek Carr?
If they’re convinced Mariota is as good as the guy we saw on Dec. 17, I’d say yes. I’m in the minority here, but to spend big money on the backup for the most important position in professional sports seems like a good idea. If he doesn’t play, look at it as a hefty insurance premium. If he’s needed, then it’s definitely worth it.
And now that Mariota has two healthy legs underneath him, Gruden could do what he was reluctant to do in 2020 and use him in a limited part-time role in some packages, particularly in the red zone.