Raiders Undeservingly Humiliated by National Media

The Las Vegas Raiders have the potential to have a bright future under their new regime, but many just can't see it.

Nov 19, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce stands on the field during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders continue to be brutally discarded by the national media before their 2024 season even begins.

Fortunately for them, their season is just around the corner, and they will have the opportunity to prove all the doubters wrong.

ESPN recently ranked all 32 NFL teams' futures based on overall roster (without quarterback), quarterback, coaching and front office. ESPN experts Dan Graziano, Louis Riddick and Aaron Schatz rated each category for each team, and the averages determined the final scores and rankings.

The following was the grading system:

100 (elite)

90 (great)

80 (very good)

70 (average)

60 (very bad)

50 and below (disastrous)

The category scores were weighted to determine the overall score -- 30% for roster, 25% for front office, 25% for coaching and 20% for quarterback.

The Raiders were ranked last among all 32 teams with an overall score of 66.2. They received a grade of 63.3 for roster (31st), 54.3 for quarterback (32nd), 74.0 for coaching (29th) and 71.3 for front office (28th).

According to Graziano, the Raiders' "reason for hope" was their defensive line, led by Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. Their "reason for concern" was -- you guessed it -- their quarterback situation, per Riddick.

These rankings severely misrepresent the Raiders in all four categories. I feel like a broken record here after having to defend these offseason criticisms.

Nonetheless, I will explain.

The Raiders' roster -- outside of the quarterback situation -- is, on paper, one of the best in the AFC quite honestly. Between Davante Adams, Crosby, A.J. Cole and Daniel Carlson, you have four All-Pro players. Then you look at defensive players like Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones, Tre'von Moehrig, Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, John Jenkins and Malcolm Koonce, who all come off career seasons. Offensively, you've got a much-improved offensive line, a very talented wide receiver corps with one of the best receivers in the game in Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Gallup, Tre Tucker and Jalen Guyton, and a running back room led by a young up-and-comer in Zamir White who recorded two 100-plus-yard rushing performances in his four starts last season.

Oh, and don't forget their two standout rookies, tight end Brock Bowers and offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson, who were the best at their respective positions in this year's draft class.

That doesn't sound like the second-to-worst roster in the league to me.

The quarterback situation is what it is, but it is being written off way too soon. You have Aidan O'Connell, the frontrunner for the starting job, who went 5-4 while starting in the Raiders' final nine games last season, including wins against all three of Las Vegas' division rivals. Then you have Gardner Minshew II, who went to his first Pro Bowl last year.

There are other teams that are worse off in that department.

Perhaps the most surprising rating was coaching. 29th in the league? Antonio Pierce, the last coach to beat Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs, added three experienced coordinators in Luke Getsy, Mike Caldwell and Rich Scangarello, as well as two former head coaches in Marvin Lewis and Joe Philbin. With arguably the best defensive coordinator in the league, Patrick Graham, senior defensive assistant coach Rob Ryan, defensive line coach Rob Leonard, cornerbacks coach Ricky Manning Jr. and safeties coach Gerald Alexander in that mix, I would say you have a top-10 coaching staff across the board -- at least.

The front office is now led by General Manager Tom Telesco, one of the most experienced executives in the league, who was brought up by the great Bill Polian. While his overall reign with the Los Angeles Chargers only resulted in three playoff appearances, he demonstrated his elite eye for potential through the draft and in the trade market.

Mind you, according to ESPN, these rankings are "based on how well each team is positioned for the future," -- specifically the 2024 through 2026 seasons -- but even so, these arguments are still relevant.

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