Positive and negative developments for the Raiders in 2020

Nobody in the Raiders’ organization is going to be satisfied with an 8-8 season, particularly after starting the season 6-3 with wins over two of the best teams in the league.

The offseason will be one of introspection as the front office tries to determine which players will be part of the foundation upon which they want to build and which are expendable.

Here’s a look at some of the positive developments, and some of the negative ones, in a wild 2020 season:

Positives

Darren Waller

The tight end followed up a breakout 2019 campaign with an even better 2020 to establish himself as a legitimate NFL star.

That consistency has to give the Raiders optimism about Waller being among the upper echelon of tight ends for years to come.

Derek Carr

Remember all the questions about whether Carr would be replaced before the 2020 season?

The seven-year veteran answered all of them with one of his best seasons, further strengthening his grip on the job.

Gruden is notoriously fickle about his quarterbacks, so this is subject to change at any time. But for now, Carr is as firmly entrenched as he has been in some time.

Clelin Ferrell

The former first-round pick took a step forward in his second season.

While the sack numbers still aren’t there, Ferrell was the 17th-ranked edge defender in the league out of 115 qualifying players, according to Pro Football Focus, after finishing 76th out of 104 as a rookie.

Daniel Carlson

The kicker went 33 of 35 on field goals and 45 of 47 on extra points to break the franchise record for points in a season with 144 points.

Coaches love when they don’t have to deal with volatility from their kicker.

Nelson Agholor

The free-agent signing was largely an afterthought with the Raiders so invested in pass-catchers, but Agholor was a revelation.

He had a career-high in yards and matched a career-high with eight touchdowns while posting a remarkable 18.7 yards per catch.

The only problem for the Raiders is he made himself much more expensive to keep around.

Negatives

Young secondary

The Raiders have injected quite a bit of talent into their secondary over the last couple offseasons. They are still waiting for a return on the investment.

First-round picks Johnathan Abram and Damon Arnette struggled to stay on the field and endured their fair share of ups and downs when they were out there.

Trayvon Mullen flashed the potential to be a very good cornerback, but he needs to be more consistent and can only play one position.

Rookie receivers

The 2020 NFL draft was chock full of extremely talented receivers who have already made significant contributions in the league.

Gruden and Mike Mayock had their pick of any of them and settled on Henry Ruggs, who posted pedestrian numbers in his rookie campaign. Bryan Edwards looked like a stud in training camp only to have his rookie year sidetracked by injury and inconsistency.

Both have plenty of talent. Ruggs made an impact by opening up the field for his teammates, but the Raiders need more production out of them.

Running game

The overall numbers don’t look terrible, but a closer look reveals a troubling trend.

Running back Josh Jacobs dropped from 4.8 yards per carry as a rookie to just 3.9 this season. Some of that can be chalked up to a battered offensive line and Jacobs never quite being 100 percent. But he averaged exactly 1.9 yards before contact in each of his two seasons. Jacobs dropped from 2.8 yards per carry after contact to 2.0 this season.

Pass rush

The Raiders finished 29th in the league with just 21 sacks. That lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks also contributed to the team finishing 30th with just 15 takeaways, including none over the final four games.

They absolutely must find a way to get to the quarterback.

Carlson’s points record

He had a great season and all, but the Raiders would like to see him on the field significantly less next season. Some of those field goal drives have to turn into touchdowns for the Raiders to take the next step.

Hunter Renfrow said he told Carlson the only record they want him to set next season is most converted extra points.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.