Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Las Vegas Raiders offense was solid in 2022 but not nearly as prolific as many hoped. The team was 12th in the NFL with 352.5 yards and 23.2 points per game. While that’s above average, the Raiders had the talent on offense to be a top-10 unit.
Head coach Josh McDaniels was revered as a playcaller with the New England Patriots but he struggled in his first year. He had a young offensive coaching staff last year but has decided to add some experience for next season. The Raiders announced that they’ve hired former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner in the role of Pass Game Coordinator.
“The Raiders are excited to welcome Scott Turner to the team’s coaching staff as Pass Game Coordinator. Scott brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience around the league and is already familiar with both the Raiders and the Las Vegas community,” McDaniels said in a statement. “We look forward to Scott’s contributions to the team.”
Turner has experience as a playcaller so he could be a valuable person to have on staff in the event that McDaniels considers putting his focus on simply being the head coach.
Background on Turner
Turner has been coaching for almost two decades since he got his first job as a graduate assistant for Oregon State. His first NFL job came in 2011 when he was hired as a quality control coach for the Carolina Panthers. He landed the Commanders offensive coordinator job in 2020 but failed to field a consistent offense with the team being a revolving door at quarterback. Washington never finished better than 20th in points per game during his time as offensive coordinator, which is why he was fired after the 2022 season.
However, Turner can still bring value to the Raiders. He’s the son of former Raiders head coach Norv turner, who was long considered one of the strongest offensive minds in the NFL during his peak. Plus, Turner played college football for the University of Nevada Las Vegas so he has close ties to the city. He’s a young coach at 40 and has no Patriots connection. He can bring some fresh ideas to an offensive coaching staff that didn’t show much creativity in 2022. Mick Lombardi holds the offensive coordinator title but hasn’t called plays before. Turner should be a key voice for McDaniels in 2023.
Raiders Offense Should Be Greatly Improved With Right QB
Derek Carr has been a very good quarterback throughout his career but clearly struggled with McDaniels’ offensive system in 2022. It’s possible he could’ve figured it out with another year under his belt but the Raiders didn’t want to risk it. They’ll now be looking for a new quarterback in 2023. Tom Brady was the favorite but he has retired from the NFL.
The Raiders have the weapons and coaching to be an elite offense but they need the right quarterback. Perhaps that’s Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo or a rookie. Regardless, the team doesn’t have many excuses to not field an elite offense in 2023. Adding a coach like Turner shows that McDaniels is willing to let in some outside voices. Being a head coach a vastly different than being a coordinator so it’s wise for McDaniels to add some help on offense.