The Las Vegas Raiders beginning the season with a 3-3 record has been a pleasant surprise. It is possible that they could be fools gold, however. The Raiders rank 23rd in offensive EPA per play and 25th in defensive EPA per play allowed. They have a -31 point differential; only the Washington Commanders have a worse point differential among teams with at least three wins on the season. Two of Vegas' wins have come against the 1-5 Denver Broncos and the 1-5 New England Patriots.
That begs the question as old as time: are the Raiders for real? Probably not. But they've positioned themselves well to make a playoff run should they decide to pursue that, which they probably will. If things fall apart, there are players the Raiders could elect to move on from as well. The Raiders could easily be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline in a few weeks. Who should they try to trade for? Who could they trade away? There's a player that fits each bill for the Raiders.
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Danielle Hunter
Danielle Hunter has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL for a minute now. He has eight sacks in six games this season. Hunter has registered at least ten sacks in every season since 2018 except for the 2021 season where he only played seven games and had seven sacks in those games. He's also on a one-year deal after failing to sign a long-term contract with the Minnesota Vikings. A key stipulation to the one-year contract he signed this offseason, however, is that the Vikings cannot franchise tag Hunter this upcoming season. They either have to sign him to a long-term deal or risk him walking for nothing.
Or, the Vikings could trade him before it comes to that ultimatum. At 2-4 on the season and without Justin Jefferson for at least the next three weeks, it looks likely that the Vikings aren't going to compete this season. The Raiders are still in it with a 3-3 record but could use someone other than Maxx Crosby to get to the quarterback. Despite Crosby playing at an elite level, the Raiders rank 23rd in ESPN's pass rush win rate metric. Crosby has 5.5 sacks through six games this season. The rest of the Raiders' defense has 7.5 sacks and two of those sacks have come from defensive backs Amik Robertson and Tre'von Moehrig. Basically, Crosby has as many sacks himself as anybody else on the Raiders whose occupation involves rushing the opposing quarterback in some capacity.
The Chandler Jones situation going haywire has held back the Raiders' pass rush, but they have the chance to bolster that pass rush with a trade. Brian Burns could be an option if the Panthers decide to finally shop him. But Danielle Hunter would be a great fit and should become available if the Vikings keep losing.
Hunter Renfrow
If the Raiders slip and decide to sell at the trade deadline, someone who could be dealt is Hunter Renfrow. The Raiders have reportedly tried to trade Renfrow already, but have yet to agree with other teams on a pay structure regarding Renfrow's contract that has him at a cap hit of over $13 million this season. But as time goes on, the Raiders should figure something out with Renfrow. It was only two years ago when Renfrow caught 103 passes and racked up 1,038 yards along with nine touchdowns and looked like a rising slot receiver in the NFL.
Since then, the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels as their head coach, and Renfrow has strangely become an afterthought. He went from 103 receptions in 2021 to only 50 targets in ten games in 2022. Renfrow's usage and playing time have taken an even bigger hit in 2023. In six games, he has nine targets and six receptions for 59 yards. Renfrow has played at least 50% of the Raiders' offensive snaps twice in six games. Rookie Tre Tucker passed Renfrow for playing time in Vegas' last game against the New England Patriots.
The Raiders seem to have moved on from Renfrow. Keeping him around is doing no one any good. The Raiders need to get something with Renfrow done soon.
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