Entering the third year of his rebuild, Jon Gruden has put his team in a position to compete for a playoff spot. In fact, they were in the hunt for the No. 6 seed in the AFC all the way into Week 17. But are they ready to take that next step in 2020?
While we will find out that answer soon, it appears Gruden and Mike Mayock are building a team not only to compete in 2020, but in future years, as well. With a young roster on both sides of the ball, the Raiders appear to have the nucleus that could really grow over the next several years.
However, not everyone is in agreement about the Raiders’ future. In a recent piece by ESPN, they ranked all 32 teams by how they project over the next three seasons.
For the Raiders, the ESPN panel of insiders weren’t too excited about the future, ranking them at No. 19. Here is a snippet of their thoughts on Las Vegas moving forward:
Las Vegas is rebuilding position by position under Jon Gruden. It began with offensive tackle, then came over the top with linebacker in free agency and playmakers and cornerback through the draft. With the strength of the overall roster steadily improving, the Raiders must decide whether Carr is their long-term answer at QB after this year. They are reaching that point: go all-in on Carr, or look at alternate options.
The panel isn’t excited about Derek Carr as they ranked the team’s quarterback situation among the worst in the NFL. They ranked the coaching staffs as well and Gruden came out at only No. 17.
While the Raiders might not be ready to compete for a Super Bowl in 2020, their roster is dramatically better now than it was when Gruden took over. If he can continue on that trend, there is no reason why the Raiders can’t contend in the AFC by the 2021 or 2022 season.
