Raiders: Mark Davis says Las Vegas is 'trying to win' ahead of trade deadline

With the 2023 NFL trade deadline approaching, the Raiders are going to be buyers, according to team owner Mark Davis.

With the 2023 NFL trade deadline approaching, what will the Las Vegas Raiders end up doing?

They have a 3-3 record so far yet they don’t look to be all that impressive on either side of the ball. Their -31 point differential is tied for the third-worst in the AFC. Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby continue to dominate but overall, they don’t look like a team that can do a lot of damage. Las Vegas has tried to be a competitive team in recent years and they aren’t aiming to stop now.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that the Raiders want to be competitive. A conversation with owner Mark Davis confirmed that the silver and black crew is still going by the “Just win baby” mantra.

“I recently spoke to Raiders owner Mark Davis at the annual fall league meeting in New York and asked him, ‘You sellers?’ He responded, ‘We’re trying to win.’ This aligns with the conversations I have had around the league about the Raiders’ philosophy: They are looking to successfully compete, not tear down,” writes Russini.

Among the specific moves the Raiders are looking into, Russini said, are shopping wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who has fallen out of favor with the team following his 1,000-yard season in 2021, and looking to add pass-rushing in the wake of the Chandler Jones situation. Their interest in adding help for Crosby has been reported previously and seems like the most likely move they will make before the October 31 deadline.

Despite being able to cash in on an Adams trade, the Raiders don’t want to move the superstar wideout. Las Vegas has done a lot in the hopes of getting back into the postseason, though they have also induced some self-sabotage.

The Raiders' schedule the rest of the way is fairly easy but they also have two remaining matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and one against the Miami Dolphins. If they do want to compete, they are absolutely going to have to make some sizable moves. Since Las Vegas is going to commit itself to being a winning team, the last thing the front office can do is stay put.