Will There Be a Youth Movement for Raiders?

The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot to fix going forward. Is the youth movement the way to go?

Oct 20, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce and Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera (99) during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are in a rough spot as they reach their bye week. 

Coach Antonio Pierce’s team is 2-7 on the year, having lost five straight games. Things have gone poorly in Pierce’s first year as the team’s full-time head coach, a far cry from the excellent energy around the team when he was the interim coach. 

The trade deadline has passed, and the Raiders are hoping to heal up ahead of their game next week against the Miami Dolphins. Miami has struggled this season, too, so the Raiders have a shot to win at home. 

While the Raiders are still trying to turn things around this season, it feels like a significant uphill battle to come close to fielding a competitive team at this point in the year. While this does not mean Pierce and the Raiders will give up, could there be a major philosophical change during the second half of the season?

We’re talking about a youth movement. 

The Raiders have plenty of veterans who have contributed well to this football team, but Las Vegas has a chance to see what they have in their young players while still trying to win games. 

The Raiders saw Marcus Epps suffer a torn ACL early in the season, leading to Isaiah Pola-Mao stepping into the starting safety role. The third-year man has done a nice job as a versatile piece in the secondary. 

Despite Pola-Mao being young, the Raiders could also give Chris Smith II more snaps at safety. He has seen just 11 snaps on defense, per Pro Football Focus. The team selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he seldom sees the field. 

The Raiders selected cornerback Decamerion Richardson in the fourth round of this past draft, and his snap count has increased since he has returned healthy. Richardson saw a career-high 28 snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. There could be more snaps for the long, physical corner as the Raiders put him to the test. 

Players like DJ Glaze, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Tommy Eichenberg could also see the field more than they already have as the season winds down. 

A bad record at the midway point could be a blessing in disguise for the Silver and Black, as they now have the opportunity to test out their young players.

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