The 2022 season began with high hopes for the Las Vegas Raiders. While they were playing in one of the toughest divisions in football, it was expected that they would put up a fight for a playoff position or perhaps the AFC West title.

While the eventual division champion Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers provided formidable opposition, it was thought the Raiders could push both of those opponents. The acquisition of superstar wideout Davante Adams to serve as Derek Carr's top receiving threat along with a defense that featured defensive end Maxx Crosby and safety Duron Harmon appeared to put the Raiders in a good position during the first year of head coach Josh McDaniels' regime.

But it was a poor year for the Raiders, as they could not overcome the deep hole they dug for themselves with a 2-7 start.

There will be substantial changes on the Raiders in 2023, and the team made that clear before last season was completed. The organization sent Carr home and let him know that he would not be in their plans for the future. That means Carr will be traded or cut no more than 3 days after the conclusion of the Super Bowl, because there are guarantees in his current contract that total more than $40 million that will kick in at that point.

But that decision is not a surprise, and the Raiders are in the market for a new quarterback. They have $17.5 million in cap space available.

The Raiders will also likely make cuts from their roster. McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler do not need mediocre players on his roster.

One of those players is defensive tackle Bilal Nichols.

DT Bilal Nichols

The Raiders signed Nichols to a free-agent contract a year ago, and he was expected to give them an improved interior pass rush.

Nichols signed a two-year, $8.625 million contract with Las Vegas, and that deal carries a cap hit of $6.69 million for the upcoming season.

Prior to signing with the Raiders, Nichols had played four seasons with the Chicago Bears. He appeared to be an up-and-coming player as he had been productive in both the 2020 and 2021 season. Nichols had 51 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 5 tackles for loss in 2021, and that came on the heels of a season with 40 tackles, 5.0 sacks and 7 tackles for loss in 2020.

The Raiders expected Nichols to build off of those numbers and give them an interior pass rusher who could punish opponents when they tried to run the ball up the middle. He expected a lot of himself, saying his job was to everything his coaches asked of him. He did not live up to those expectations.

Nichols had 44 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. He did not force or recover a fumble, and he was unable to bat down even a single pass. He was not an impact player for the Raiders, and he appeared to be part of the problem and not the solution.

Conclusion

The Raiders have a number of decisions to make concerning their roster. After making the postseason in 2021 but failing to get back last season, there are sure to be a number of additions and subtractions.

Nichols was viewed as an asset when the team signed him as a free agent a year ago, but his first season with the Raiders was a big disappointment. Ziegler and McDaniels will have to decide if Nichols deserves a second season in Silver and Black.

A player can do better in his second season with a team when he gets more familiar with his surroundings and the team approach, but there are no guarantees that will happen. The belief here is that Nichols peaked in his last 2 seasons in Chicago, and that things will not get better in Las Vegas.

The Raiders will be better off if they cut him.