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After a disappointing year in 2018, the Oakland Raiders needed to do a lot in the offseason to make sure they don’t repeat their performance. Well, they certainly did and the 2019 squad looks almost entirely different than it did last year. Most of the coaching staff is still intact, but the front office got a shakeup and so did the roster. The Raiders got younger and more unified this offseason and that should show in their record at the end of the regular season. While the team did make a lot of good moves, they also made some bad and controversial moves. We’ll start on a positive note.
Best: Hiring Mike Mayock as General Manager
When former GM for the Raiders Reggie McKenzie was ousted before the season ended, it was anybody’s guess who would be his replacement. There were rumors that a guy like Washington Redskins GM Bruce Allen could be on his way to Oakland, but those turned out to be untrue. One move that nobody saw coming was the addition of longtime draft analyst at the NFL Network Mike Mayock. The Raiders haven’t drafted particularly well since the 2014 NFL Draft. McKenzie may have built a playoff roster in 2016, but that was mainly due to good veteran additions and the 2014 Draft Class. McKenzie made moves like drafting D.J. Hayden in the first round and taking Jihad Ward in the second round, among other bad moves. The adding of Mayock was clearly meant to help improve the team’s draft hauls.
However, Mayock has proven to be adept in other areas, as well. He orchestrated a trade that saw the Raiders get Antonio Brown for only a third and fifth-round draft pick. That’s straight-up robbery for a player of Brown’s stature. He also made moves to bolster the offensive line by signing Trent Brown. He did make some head-turning moves by bringing in Vontaze Burfict and Richie Incognito, but those are two really talented players. If they get in trouble, they’re easy to cut loose, if they play well, they’re an absolute steal for the team. Evaluating how Mayock fared in his first draft as a GM will take time, but on the surface, he seems to have done a good job. He definitely played it safe, but the Raiders need stability and he brought in high-character young guys. Most of the best moves the Raiders made this offseason were made by Mayock, so it’s hard to argue that Jon Gruden and Mark Davis made a good call.
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Worst: Keeping Tom Cable as O-Line Coach
The decision to keep Tom Cable as the offensive line coach is as equally baffling as it is frustrating. Cable took an offensive line unit that was the eighth-best offensive line in the NFL for 2017 and turned it into the 28th best in 2018. He also has no proven record of being able to put together a solid unit. Jon Gruden and he must be good buddies or something because there’s no reason he should’ve gotten another NFL job once he was fired in Seattle. The Raiders offensive line saw a lot of injuries a year ago, so that’s what likely gave him a longer leash, but the unit is much improved from a talent standpoint heading into 2019.
Cable will have to make it work in 2019 if he’s going to remain of staff for long. He’s certainly a candidate to get fired if starting QB Derek Carr is hitting the turf a lot. If he continues to fail, Gruden won’t be able to protect Cable from an angry fan base that already wants him gone. The Raiders offseason was mostly good. However, if the Raiders offensive line is as bad as it was in 2018, the retention of Tom Cable may outweigh all the good things they did.
Most Controversial: Signing Richie Incognito & Vontaze Burfict
While the additions of Richie Incognito and Vontaze Burfict are perfect fits for the Raiders on the football field, they both bring potential PR nightmares for the team. Incognito has a well-documented history of being a hot head and Burfict has been suspended on more than one occasion. They are both talented players that fill in massive needs for the team, but the optics of bringing them in certainly won’t win the Raiders many positive headlines. That being said, many teams take chances on troubled players and in some cases, it pays huge dividends. The play at left guard for the Raiders in 2018 was terrible and the linebacker play for the Raiders has been terrible for years at this point. Both players are easily cut if they cause trouble, but they’ve both been relatively quiet since joining the team. Incognito is suspended for the first two games to start the season, but he should be an instant upgrade at guard once he’s allowed back on the field.
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