Offense

Derek Carr is gone. Enter Jimmy Garoppolo.

Jimmy G spent the last six seasons in San Francisco and is now reunited with Josh McDaniels after the two were paired up in New England as offensive coordinator and backup QB.

The Raiders did not have a lot of free agency options, so the gamble to go all in on Garoppolo will turn the heat up on McDaniels if it does not come up “aces.”

A key to the offensive production will be how quickly the star receiver and new QB mesh. Garoppolo is coming off an injury and will need to shake off the rust, in general, to get up to speed with his new targets.

The offseason learning curve is not limited to the QB on the offensive side of the ball. Aside from the two stars, the team has had roster upheaval across the skill positions. There will need to be a lot of familiarization during camp.

Josh Jacobs has made it no secret that he is not happy about his contract situation, or the franchise designation, and his holdout has now extended into the latter half of camp.

If and when Jacobs comes back, he will get up to speed in a hurry. McDaniel has commented that nothing carries over from season to season and players need to re-establish themselves each season.

But I think we all know the job will belong to Jacobs when he returns. Zamir White has performed well in the preseason, and should Jacobs’s holdout linger into September, it would not be a terrible option.

This is an offense that could prove to be productive but is going to be a work in progress. If Jacobs lines up for them, they will have an All-Pro in the backfield and on the outside and that should be enough to score some points.

Darren Waller is no longer at tight end but look for big things from rookie Michael Mayer.

Defense

On the defensive side, it was a hot mess for Las Vegas in 2022. The Raiders only produced 27 sacks on the season, 29th in the league despite being 18th in the league in QB hits with 94.

They just couldn’t quite get there enough. That should improve this season.

In his five seasons in the NFL, Maxx Crosby has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the league.

Double X will again be the leader of this defensive unit that like the offense, saw a lot of roster turnover in the offseason.

Tyree Wilson was drafted ninth overall in April and should provide another piece of pressure on the edge. The number of times this team finishes the play with a sack should be much higher.

The big thing is if Las Vegas can create enough turnovers in the back end of the defense with that pressure. Last year the Raiders forced a turnover on just 7.3 percent of opponent dives.

That figure was second to last in the NFL. For the Raiders to be successful this season they will need to create a lot more takeaways.

2023 Outlook

If it does not, then it is going to be a very long season. The defense will not be good enough to keep them in contention.

Ultimately, I see the slide continuing for at least one more season in Las Vegas.

Garoppolo will most likely be a placeholder for the quarterback of the future, should they be taken at the top of the draft in 2024 or 25.

There will be some struggles on the field and then some more roster turnover to follow.