The Las Vegas Raiders had another disappointing season, but they may have a glimmer of hope for the immediate future.
They may have found a gem in interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who at least quickly won the respect and buy-in of his players, and despite a big question mark at quarterback, they do have plenty of talent.
On defense, they have one of the game’s best pass rushers in defensive end Maxx Crosby, and per Ian Rapoport, he just underwent a procedure to clean up his knee.
A small cleanup for Maxx Crosby after dealing with a knee injury since Week 2. Fixing issues with his bursa. https://t.co/0MY89aewnl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 18, 2024
Crosby, 26, had his best season with 14.5 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, and a league-high 23 tackles for loss, and that production earned him his third-straight Pro Bowl nod.
With studs such as wide receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and running back Josh Jacobs on offense, it seems as if all Las Vegas may need to become very competitive is a legitimate QB.
They benched veteran Jimmy Garoppolo at midseason after he threw more interceptions (nine) than touchdown passes (seven) in seven games, and they went with rookie Aidan O’Connell the rest of the way.
O’Connell wasn’t much better than Garoppolo, which makes one wonder if they may look to do something in order to secure themselves an upgrade at that position.
With the No. 13 pick in April’s draft, they likely won’t be able to draft a long-term solution unless they were to trade up for a higher pick, which leaves open the possibility of a trade for a signal-caller who has some NFL experience.
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Damian Lillard Makes His Pick For Next Raiders HC