The Las Vegas Raiders are a team many people will be keeping an eye in 2024. After finishing the 2023 season strongly under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, he had the interim tag removed this offseason.
Defensively, the Raiders were a stout unit with Pierce leading the way. Will he and his staff be able to get the most out of the offense now that they are locked into full-time jobs as they have with the defense?
Looking to get that side of the ball on track, Las Vegas hired Luke Getsy to be their offensive coordinator. Getsy has some great pieces to work with when it comes to skill positions.
Davante Adams remains one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, with Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker as complementary pieces. The team used the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Georgia tight end Brock Bowers as well.
Another intriguing name to watch is Michael Mayer. The second-year tight end, who was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was thought of by many people as a breakout candidate this season.
All of the steam has been let out of that hype train because of the addition of Bowers. Several teams have found success with multi-tight end sets, but Getsy has not gone that route with his game planning often.
Last season, Cole Kmet paced the tight ends on the Chicago Bears with 90 targets and 73 receptions. Second on the team was Robert Tonyan, who was targeted only 17 times and caught 11 of them.
With Bowers likely taking over as the No. 1 tight end, what will Mayer’s role be? Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has suggested that he could be used as the centerpiece of a trade to upgrade another area of the roster.
“Las Vegas has another capable receiving tight end in Harrison Bryant, and Mayer’s draft pedigree could generate quite a bit of interest on the trade market,” Knox wrote .
Many analysts believed Mayer was the No. 1 tight end in the 2023 draft class. He ended up being the third tight end selected behind first-rounder Dalton Kincaid and second-rounder Sam LaPorta. LaPorta went one pick ahead of Mayer at No. 34.
As a rookie, Mayer wasn’t heavily involved in the Raiders’ offense in the early going. Under Josh McDaniels, it took until Week 4 for Mayer to receive at least 50 percent of the snaps.
Under Pierce, he played at least 80 percent of the snaps in all but one game; a 63-21 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. Ahead of that game, he was dealing with a toe injury that ended up keeping him sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here . Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network .
The post Raiders’ Intriguing Playmaker Named Top Trade Candidate appeared first on NFL Analysis Network .
Most Popular
Comments / 0