The Raiders are moving in 2020, and there is a lot to be excited about with their team. Several young players, such as Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller, and Maxx Crosby, have developed into cornerstone pieces as the Raiders look to become competitive in the AFC once again.
But should fans feel confident that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden can get this team back on track? In a recent piece by Bleacher Report, Chris Roling named each team’s biggest reason for hope entering the 2020 season. For the Raiders, their front office was praised due to their aggressiveness last offseason:
Antonio Brown didn’t work out, but it was nice to see the aggressiveness. Oakland also showed a willingness to splurge in free agency on players such as Trent Brown (four years, $66 million). Two of the team’s three 2019 first-round picks were big hits, too, highlighted by running back Josh Jacobs, who had 1,150 yards and seven scores on a 4.8 average over 13 games.
After seemingly overachieving on the field, the Raiders enter the offseason with the No. 12 pick and $69.4 million in cap space. If the moves keep trending in the right direction, there’s plenty of reason to hope for an additional bump in 2020.
While you can certainly criticize the move to trade for Antonio Brown or select Clelin Ferrell at No. 4, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden found several key contributors on the second and third day of the draft, including Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow, and Foster Moreau. Those three players alone were better than most team’s draft classes in 2019.
If the Raiders can have another offseason like the one they just had, it shouldn’t be long before the team is a legit contender in the AFC. With a nearly unlimited amount of cap space and two first-round picks, the Raiders should improve dramatically in the 2020 season.
