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The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a pivotal year in their franchise's history, as they prepare to make the move to Allegiant Stadium in 2020. At the same time, the Raiders are heading into a deciding year for plenty of their players and even coaches.
Jon Gruden is entering his third season in his return as the head coach of the Raiders. In his first two seasons, the Super Bowl winning coach has led Las Vegas to a combined record of 11-21. With him continuing to shape the roster to his liking, it's time for Gruden to begin producing results in 2020.
The same could easily be said for Derek Carr, who has failed to show much improvement in his game since 2016. All that being said, here are the three biggest questions for the Raiders entering the 2020 NFL season.
Will the secondary be better for the Raiders than it was a season ago?
At the beginning of the 2019 NFL season, the Raiders kicked off the year with Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, and Trayvon Mullen as the top three cornerbacks on the depth chart. Fast forward to now and only Mullen remains with Las Vegas among the trio that started in Week 1 of last season.
Over the course of the offseason, the Raiders have made a concerted effort to address the secondary. Besides signing Damarious Randall, Las Vegas drafted Damon Arnette and Amik Robertson in the 2020 NFL Draft. Plus, the Raiders will be getting Jonathan Abram back after suffering a season-ending injury in his rookie campaign in 2019.
With the group the Raiders had last season, the team finished with the 25th ranked pass defense. Hopefully, for Gruden's sake, Las Vegas' efforts to bolster the secondary this offseason aren't for naught.
How will Clelin Ferrell perform after a disappointing rookie season?
The Raiders began the 2019 NFL Draft by selecting Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 pick in hopes he could improve the team's pass-rushing unit. Despite the hype surrounding him out of Clemson, Ferrell failed to live up to expectations as a rookie.
In his debut season with Las Vegas, Ferrell recorded only 4.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. On the other hand, the Raiders combined for only 32 sacks as a defense (25th in the NFL). Not to mention, fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby led the team with 10 sacks in his rookie season in 2019.
Nevertheless, the Raiders believe Ferrell can bounce back and put together a productive sophomore campaign. If Ferrell can't flash any upside, his time in Las Vegas may come to an end sooner rather than later.
Can Derek Carr finally take his game to the next level?
Derek Carr once showed promise as a franchise quarterback of the Raiders. From 2015-2017, Carr made three consecutive Pro Bowls. He led the Raiders to the playoffs in 2016 before sustaining an injury.
But under Gruden, Carr has failed to show any improvement outside of his 70.4 completion percentage in 2019. Entering his third year with Gruden, Las Vegas added even more weapons for Carr this offseason.
The Raiders selected Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, and Lynn Bowden in the 2020 NFL Draft, adding them to an offense that already features Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, Tyrell Williams, and Hunter Renfrow. Seeing that he has a loaded offensive unit, there aren't any more excuses for Carr in 2020.
