Where do Raiders stand entering Year 2 of Ziegler-McDaniels regime?

Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels were in a precarious position when they took over as the Raiders’ general manager and coach in January 2022.

Typically, new leadership is hired to fix an ailing club. It’s generally understood at least two years are needed to make changes. Part of this usually means a complete rebuild.

In Ziegler and McDaniels’ case, they were taking over a team that punched a ticket to the NFL playoffs after winning four straight games — including a miraculous overtime victory over the Chargers in the season finale — to end the season.

Any notion of a rebuild was set aside to try to build off the momentum of the previous season, as evidenced by sending a first- and second-round draft pick to the Packers to acquire Davante Adams and signing him to a then-record-breaking contract for a wide receiver. They also added veteran pass rusher Chandler Jones.

But there was also evidence that Ziegler and McDaniels understood the roster holes and how they weren’t completely sold on the Raiders as a perennial playoff contender.

Ziegler often mentioned the need to use the 2022 season as an evaluation tool to get a handle on what he was working with.

That was evident in the three-year contract extension Ziegler gave Derek Carr, which included a clause that allowed the Raiders to walk away from him before the extension went into effect. The Raiders were reserving the right to use 2022 to evaluate Carr as their quarterback of the future.

That evaluation led to the release of Carr, who was in his ninth season with the team, in February. The decision occurred well before they benched him for the final two games and was simultaneous to the realization of how much work the defense needed.

Fast forward to this week and the start of the second training camp under Ziegler and McDaniels. A review of their work suggests a belief that they can field a competitive team offensively, but have a defense that needs almost every decision they made this offseason to work out to be successful.

So where exactly are the Raiders in their retooling? Let’s take a look:

Offense

The addition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, along with wide receivers Jakobi Meyers, Phillip Dorsett, DeAndre Carter and Tre Tucker and tight ends Michael Mayer, Austin Hooper and O.J. Howard, give the Raiders a fighting chance. Coupled with Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Josh Jacobs, assuming he ends his holdout, and an offensive line that improved last season to the point of genuine reliability, the Raiders have sufficient firepower.

The Raiders are counting on that to make them viable in 2023.

Long range is another issue. And that points to the fine line Ziegler and McDaniels are walking trying to win immediately while also building for the future.

Garoppolo has his strengths, but he’s also an annual injury risk and, at age 31, isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback.

Who is? The Raiders drafted Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell in the fourth rund, but chances are their quarterback of the future is currently on a college roster.

Defense

It’s an entirely different story on defense, where Ziegler and McDaniels have made massive changes through free agency and the draft. Whether that results in progress remains to be seen.

But there’s reason for optimism. The additions of defensive end Tyree Wilson, defensive tackles Neil Farrell, Matthew Butler, Byron Jones and Nesta Jade Silvera, cornerback Jakorian Bennett, safeties Chris Smith and Isaiah Polo-Mao, and linebackers Luke Masterson and Amari Burney the past two years provide youth and promise.

Young cornerback Nate Hobbs, linebacker Divine Deablo and safety Tre’von Moehrig are still viable prospects. And Maxx Crosby is one of the NFL’s best edge rushers.

If they can collectively come together and take a step forward, it changes the entire dynamic and narrows the Raiders’ personnel needs.

The bottom line: By the end of this season, the Raiders could have some narrowly defined needs that can be addressed through free-agent additions and the draft. Or they still could be looking at a lengthy rebuild.

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