Overhaul of Raiders roster must now produce wins

The Raiders under Jon Gruden have made steady if slow progress over his first three seasons at the helm.

But as they close in on the halfway point of the 10-year contract Gruden and Raiders owner Mark Davis agreed upon in 2018, their hope is that steady growth is replaced by significant improvement.

Gruden has overseen a near-complete overhaul of the roster, with the only notable holdover being quarterback Derek Carr, who now heads into his fourth season in Gruden’s system.

During the overhaul, the Raiders have targeted young players from winning college programs and prioritized character and a love for football. The trick now is turning those attributes into more wins on game day.

There are valid reasons to feel comfortable talking about the Raiders and the playoffs in the same sentence. But just enough concern to keep such conversations at arm’s length.

Offensively, Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have surrounded Carr with an impressive assortment of weapons and playmakers that, if four young players step up as anticipated, could form an explosive unit.

If the offense merely duplicates the 27.1 points per game it averaged last year while cleaning up some issues in the red zone, the Raiders will have the necessary firepower to push for a playoff berth.

Doing so will require that new center Andre James and rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood immediately settle in at their positions. Young wide receivers Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards also will need to take big steps forward in their second seasons.

If so, they will complement dynamic tight end Darren Waller, one of the most explosive weapons in the NFL, and running back Josh Jacobs, who is joined this year by Kenyan Drake, a versatile playmaker who can play in conjunction with and in lieu of Jacobs.

The bigger issue is squaring away a defense that surrendered the third-most points per game in the NFL and sabotaged the Raiders’ playoff hopes with three late-game collapses over the second half of the season.

The Raiders focused intently on that side of the ball during the offseason, beginning with the hiring of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and the addition of defensive linemen Yannick Ngakoue, Quinton Jefferson, Solomon Thomas and Darius Philon, cornerback Casey Hayward and the drafting of safety Tre’von Moehrig and defensive backs Nate Hobbs and Tyree Gillespie.

Just as important, young holdovers Maxx Crosby, Trayvon Mullen, Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram and Damon Arnette need to step up as they transition into the veteran core of the defense.

“I expect it to be better,” Gruden said of the defense. “We put a lot into our defense. We made a lot of changes. … We still have a long way to go. We’ve got a lot to prove.”

It is hard to believe the Raiders’ defense can be as bad as it was last year. But standing pat is not an option. They have to show improvement, and in some significant ways.

That means cutting the points allowed from 29.9 to at most 21 or 22. If they accomplish that, the Raiders will be knocking on the door of the playoffs.

If not, it will be another long season in the desert.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.