Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Las Vegas Raiders are facing a major change with nine-year starter Derek Carr no longer with the team. While it will be new for Las Vegas, the situation will be more familiar for head coach Josh McDaniels with Jimmy Garoppolo set to be the starter. The two worked together on the New England Patriots from 2014 to 2017 and know each other well.
Though Garoppolo has been playing under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers for the past six seasons, he understands McDaniels’ system and it should be an easier transition than what Carr had. In a June 26 interview with former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, McDaniels was able to discuss what he likes about Garoppolo.
“Our quarterbacks will ultimately be judged like the head coach will be – how many games do we win or lose,” McDaniels said, via The 33rd Team. “Really like Jimmy Garoppolo, I’ve obviously been fond of him since we drafted him in New England. He’s got a lot of strengths that’ve obviously been on display in San Francisco for the last so many years. He’s won a lot of games and has played at a high level and taken his team to important games late in the year.
“Looking forward to working with all those guys. Really feel good about what we tried to accomplish in the spring [with] what we were able to do and looking forward to Training Camp.”
Jimmy Garoppolo figures to be Josh McDaniels’ fifth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons
The #Raiders head coach spoke with our own @RichGannon12 on the team’s QB room and its mix of experience and youth
Josh McDaniels Talks Necessary Defensive Improvements
In 2022, the Raiders’ defense created just 13 turnovers, which was the fewest in the NFL. Their -8 turnover differential was the third-worst in the league. That’s nothing new for the franchise as they haven’t had a positive turnover differential since the 2016 season. According to Josh McDaniels, creating more turnovers while limiting the turnovers on offense was a big focus for the team this offseason.
“We have a great player in Maxx Crosby and we have some other guys who did some things for us last year, but we want to try and add to our group in ways where we felt we could be more explosive,” McDaniels told Gannon. “Create negative situations with the [defensive] front and create more turnovers and takeaway opportunities by getting our hands on the ball. That was a real focus for us as we went into the offseason.”
McDaniels further stressed why it’s important to protect the ball on offense.
“There were really good stretches where we ran the ball very well. Obviously, Josh [Jacobs] had a great year,” McDaniels said of the 2022 season. “I thought our offensive line improved as the season wore on. We turned the ball over too much and anytime you lose the turnover margin as many times as we did during the course of the season, it’s hard to overcome that too many times and end winning more of those games than you lose. So, protecting the football obviously got to be paramount for us as we go into this season.”
Josh McDaniels Discusses Thought Process for 2023 NFL Draft
The Raiders’ offseason was replete with rumors that they would draft a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. While they did take Aidan O’Connell out of Purdue in the fourth round, the team was more focused on adding players who could make an instant impact. Similar to their approach to free agency, Josh McDaniels wanted to add playmakers through the draft.
“We went into the draft trying to acquire as many tough, smart, mature, explosive players that we could. Those were the words we kept using over again,” McDaniels told Gannon. “It’s the kind of football team we want to build.”