The 2019 Oakland Raiders have already been a top story in the NFL, and the draft hasn’t even happened yet. There are still almost six months until the first regular season snap, but fans of the team are already chomping at the bit to see the team back in action. Jon Gruden looks to be reacclimating himself to the game, and his plan is becoming more and more clear to the fans. After a 4-12 2018 season, things are looking up for 2019.

The 2019 Oakland Raiders Are Already Better Than the 2018 Oakland Raiders

Improved Offensive Line

While there are many reasons why 2018 did not go as planned for the Raiders, it all starts with the offensive line. Quarterback Derek Carr was sacked a career-high 51 times. To put that in perspective, that is 15 more times than he was sacked the previous two years combined. Needless to say, it really took away from what the Oakland offense could do.

Oakland drafted tackle Kolton Miller in the first round of last year’s draft, and then Brandon Parker in the third. Miller was expected to come in and play right away, but Oakland hoped to have Parker sit and learn for a while behind veteran Donald Penn. That didn’t happen, as Penn never got healthy last season, forcing the Raiders to start two rookies at the tackle position.

Guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson were also banged up during the season and didn’t play up to their standards even when they were on the field. The only constant was center Rodney Hudson, who once again was a top center in the league.

The Raiders got themselves some new Carr insurance as soon as free agency hit, making tackle Trent Brown the highest paid offensive lineman in history. There are arguments against Brown being worth his money, as he was far from an elite lineman. However, Brown is still developing, not often injured, and will be a much better option than what they were working with before.

With a new line in place for Carr, Gruden will be able to open the playbook and air it out more downfield.

New Weapons

Even when Carr did have time to throw last season, his target options were limited. Former first-round pick Amari Cooper just wasn’t gelling with the team anymore, and he was shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys. Jordy Nelson had a few flash games but also dealt with injuries and inconsistency. At 33 years old, he just isn’t the same player he once was and wasn’t brought in to be the top guy anyway. By the end of the season, Marcell Ateman, a seventh-round pick, was lining up opposite to Nelson at wide receiver. Tight end Jared Cook ended up being the only consistent target for Carr.

However, Christmas came early for the Silver and Black, when they swung a deal for superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown. He is unquestionably the best receiver Carr has had in his career and immediately makes the offense more dynamic. The Raiders weren’t done there, adding the tall, yet speedy wideout, Tyrell Williams to be their second wide receiver. It is also likely that Oakland brings in a few more pass catchers in the first three rounds of the draft.

The biggest loss for the Raiders is losing Cook to the New Orleans Saints, but even with Carr losing his favorite target last year, this group will be much improved.

Another Year in the System for Derek Carr

One thing all the Raider haters and Carr bashers often overlook is just how inconsistent Carr’s coaching staff has been. Carr is coming into his sixth season in the league, and is already on his fourth head coach, counting interim Tony Sparano. Consistency in a system cannot be underestimated for quarterbacks. In fact, most of the top quarterbacks in the league, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger, have the same coaches for most of their career. Playbooks and verbiage are a lot to remember, and usually expand over time, giving more diversity to an offense.

Gruden is famous for having one of the more complex playbooks in the league as it is. So, there was no way Carr had it all grasped in one season. Add in the personnel issues that the team faced on offense, and it is a miracle that Carr did as well as he did in 2018. Looking at his numbers, he had the second-best season of his career. He threw the second-fewest interceptions (10), had the most passing yards (4,049), and best completion percentage (68.9). His biggest knock was that he threw the fewest touchdowns of his career (19).

So what was Carr’s best year? It was 2016, the only season up to this point that he came had the same coaching staff. Carr was in the MVP conversation, throwing 28 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He would have surpassed 4,000 yards passing had he not been injured and missed the final game of the season. With all the talk of Carr being traded, or Gruden drafting a quarterback in the first round, there is no question this is a make or break season for Carr. However, he has never been set up for success more than he is in 2019.

Loaded with Draft Capital

Even though the Raiders have already made a splash in free agency by adding a few big names on offense, the biggest question that remains is on the defensive side of the ball. Oakland is widely projected to use two of their first three first-round picks on defense. Some think all three will be on that side of the ball. They may even use their second-round pick on defense as well. While rookies usually can’t be counted on to contribute to teams, a top-five talent like Josh Allen, Nick Bosa, or Quinnen Williams project to immediately be impact players for any team.

From there, Oakland could grab a player like Noah Fant to replace Cook at tight end, and still have one more pick to grab a corner or even a linebacker. This would do wonders to the depth on the team. Should Oakland decide to just keep loading up on offensive talent, Josh Jacobs would be an excellent option in the second round. He’s an excellent running back out of Alabama, and running back is one position where rookies have the best shot of making something happen in their first year.

Last Word on the 2019 Oakland Raiders

Most Oakland Raider fans expected Gruden to come in and immediately put the team back on track. In 2016, the team made the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade but regressed back to 6-10 in 2017. The roster initially seemed set up for success on offense, with the trio of Carr, Cooper, and running back Marshawn Lynch. The defense was still very shorthanded, but Khalil Mack was thought to be more than enough to carry the lack of names.

However, like the rumors that came true about Mack being on the trade block, there were whisperings that Gruden did not feel like the roster he came in with was up to par. Fans didn’t want to believe it, but the more the 2018 season went on, the more it was obvious that Gruden was using last season to set up the Raiders with the roster he felt would succeed. After all, he has a ten-year contract, so doesn’t have to immediately take the team to the promised land.

Once the roster overhaul became known, fans bemoaned yet another rebuild. How long would fans have to wait for the team to be competitive again? Media pundits ripped Gruden and company as out of touch on all levels of coaching. Then, he hired Mike Mayock, another media guy, but widely regarded as qualified for a front office job in the NFL.

From there, the Raiders trading for Brown showed that they aren’t necessarily in the midst of a long-term rebuild. Instead, Gruden did something closer to reloading. A team doesn’t trade for, and then pay top-dollar for a wide receiver when they are not expecting to compete. With all this in mind, don’t be surprised when the 2019 Oakland Raiders surprise a lot of people.

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