The Las Vegas Raiders showed a lot of life in the second half of the 2023 season. After firing head coach Josh McDaniels, interim head coach Antonio Pierce was able to get the most out of his guys.
The players on the team rallied around him, urging the franchise to not repeat the mistake they made with their last interim head coach, Rich Bisaccia. This time, the Las Vegas Raiders brass listened, removing the interim tag from Pierce.
While that could be viewed as a win for the franchise, other moves they made during the 2024 NFL offseason weren’t received as well. In the opinion of Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report , there is one specifically they will regret; how they handled quarterback.
Not doing more at the most important position in the NFL, along with some other questionable choices, leaves Gagnon believing the Las Vegas Raiders will have some regret. It is hard to argue against him, even through some of it was bad luck.
Las Vegas owned the 13th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and six quarterbacks were selected in the top 12. Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson both changed teams in free agency, and Justin Fields was traded by the Chicago Bears.
Despite that, the Raiders opted to sign Gardner Minshew. Minshew has had some highlights in his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. But, how much of an upgrade over 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell is he?
“The Raiders are otherwise quite talented, but instead of investing in draft or market maneuvers to land a quarterback with an elite ceiling, they stood pat and went super conservative at the sport’s most critical position,” Gagnon wrote.
With that 13th pick, the Las Vegas Raiders made another head-scratching move. They selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who was one of the more highly-rated players in this draft class.
However, a tight end was far from a need. They had used a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on tight end Michael Mayer, creating an unnecessary logjam and diminishing that asset.
Gagnon wasn’t a big fan of the Las Vegas Raiders signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a big contract. But, Wilkins is durable and coming off a career season. He could really cause some havoc up front alongside Maxx Crosby.
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The post Las Vegas Raiders May Regret This Crucial Offseason Decision appeared first on NFL Analysis Network .
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