Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Dave Ziegler with Mark Davis.
The Las Vegas Raiders are starting to come apart at the seams with a 2-7 start to the season. Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts was the low point of a nightmare season. The team needs to make big changes going forward and may even start to shake things up this season.
The defensive backfield has been one of the weakest position groups on the team. Amik Roberston and undrafted rookie Sam Webb are outshining notable offseason additions Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett. The Raiders appear to be looking into adding some help to the secondary. According to Heavy Sports’ Matt Lombardo, Las Vegas has worked out rookie defensive back/punt returner Coby Tippett.
Tippett was briefly with the New England Patriots this offseason but didn’t make the active roster to start the season. He has yet to take a snap in the NFL. Notably, he’s the son of Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett. The Patriots legend is a player that Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels should be familiar with. Tippett was one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history. If his son is even half the player he was, then he could be a solid player. The Raiders need all the help they can get so bringing in Tippett and giving him a shot is interesting. Hunter Renfrow is the team’s usual punter returner but he’s on Injured Reserve.
Raiders Have to Start Auditioning Players for Next Season
Barring the Raiders going on a shocking eight-game winning streak to end the season, they aren’t making the playoffs. However, the team can still learn a lot of things in the coming weeks. It’s clear that sweeping changes need to be made to the defense. Not counting players on rookie contracts, Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones and Bilal Nichols are the only three defensive players under contract next season.
The Raiders will have the ability to completely overhaul the defense. They’d be wise to try and get out of that Jones contract, if possible, which would mean just Crosby and Nichols are likely to return. The rest of the season has to be used to evaluate which players the team might want to keep. The season may be lost but there are still eight games that need to be played. There’s plenty of time for some young players to step up and prove that they belong in Las Vegas moving forward.
Raiders Have 2nd Overall Pick in Draft Right Now
This season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Raiders but there is a silver lining. If the team continues to lose, they will have a premium draft pick. Currently, the team holds the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. That could give them a chance to land a potential defensive superstar like Will Anderson or Jalen Carter. They could also trade down to acquire more picks to help fill more holes.
If the Raiders can turn their one first-round pick into two or three, then they could find a defensive tackle, right tackle and cornerback all in the first round. That would go a long way in fixing the team’s problems. There are still a lot of games to be played but with the playoffs almost impossible, it’s time to start thinking about the draft.