The Oakland Raiders have definitely had a wild last two years. It all started when they signed head coach Jon Gruden to an eye-popping 10-year contract.
Gruden immediately made the Raiders one of the most talked about teams – then came the drama. First was the Khalil Mack issue. Instead of extending his contract, Oakland opted to trade Mack to the Chicago Bears, getting two first-round picks in return.
Then there was the drama with Derek Carr, followed with the midseason trade of wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for another first-round pick.
Finishing the season with a 4-12 record meant the Raiders would get the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. They had another from the Cowboys (24th overall) and another from the Bears (27th overall).
That's three total first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Finally, there was the trade where they sent a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder to the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver Antonio Brown.
That's a lot of news. What exactly are the four biggest headlines in 2019 for the Oakland Raiders though?
4. First-Round Picks
As mentioned before, the Raiders had three first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Two of those were due to trades, and the other one was their own, but also their earliest pick. Therefore, all three weighed pretty heavy on the team.
Can their own pick (which ended up being defensive end Clelin Ferrell) help anchor the defense? Will he be able to make a lost 2018 season have purpose?
What about the pick they got from the Dallas Cowboys, which ended up being running back Josh Jacobs? Can he replace Marshawn Lynch and give them a new workhorse back? Will he make losing Amari Cooper worth it?
Finally, what about the pick they got from the Chicago Bears, which ended up being safety Johnathan Abram? Will he help to fill the void left by Khalil Mack? Can he soften the blow of losing such an elite player?
3. Antonio Brown
The Oakland Raiders had a lot of their own drama in 2018. So did Antonio Brown. He had a messy divorce from the Pittsburgh Steelers that ended in him getting traded for a lot less than many people would've assumed.
Now the two are paired together and it's anyone's guess how it will go. So far, everything seems good – of course they've yet to actually play a game together.
No matter what though, the Raiders now have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and an absolutely unstoppable target for Derek Carr to throw to.
2. Derek Carr
Speaking of Derek Carr, he wasn't without his fair share of headlines in 2018. The Oakland Raiders starting quarterback struggled at times, and also appeared to bash heads with coach Jon Gruden.
Carr hasn't been the same on the field since his injury in 2016. He had his worst year since his rookie season in 2017, then threw a career-worst 19 touchdowns in 2019.
However, Carr now has a better weapon than he's ever had in Antonio Brown. He's also had another year to get used to the new system and possibly to create a better relationship with his head coach.
Carr still very much has a lot of potential and talent at the quarterback position. It's wise of the Raiders to stick with him and see if he can regain the magic he had early in his career. 2019 will be a big step in seeing if it will actually work out.
1. Jon Gruden Turnaround
Things didn't go great for Jon Gruden in year one as the head coach of the Raiders. He lost fan support almost immediately with the Khalil Mack trade. There were the highly publicized issues with Derek Carr as well.
Of course, that all would've been forgiven had the Raiders won games. Their 4-12 record was tied for second worst in the NFL though, just one win better than the 3-13 Arizona Cardinals.
2019 will need to see marked improvement. They now have a year of familiarity with each other. He's got everyone in the system he wants and now has more of “his guys” in the locker room. That means the culture should lean more towards what Gruden wants.
Most importantly, he had three first-round picks and now has Antonio Brown on his side. Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders need to be a much better team in 2019 than they were in 2018. Otherwise, one of the 2020 storylines could be about Gruden being on the hot seat or even worse about a new head coach.
Follow Us
Subscribe