Minshew coming off his best year as a Pro, 13th in QBR, 7-6 record. AOC played well down the stretch 8TD/0INT 3-1 record, 92 passer rating - 3-0 sweep of the division. NFL media and many fans think the Raiders are the worst in the NFL and 'screwed', but that is ludicrous. At worst it's a middle-of-the-pack QB room with the benefit of having an excellent backup option either way. Both have skill and upside to lead this team to the playoffs.
OL
Miller, Parham, James, Powers-Johnson, Munford, Peat, Whitehead, Glaze, Meredith
Grade: B
Finished #10 PFF last season. Lost the RT to free agency but Munford played over 500 snaps and earned a 74 PFF grade he's ready to take over the starting job. JPJ is a draft steal and a potential future All-Pro. Whitehead and Peat are former Pro Bowlers. Overall a very solid group with depth across the board.
RB
White, Mattison, Abdullah, Laube
Grade: B-
White averaged over 100 yards per game as a starter last season. Mattison coming off a down year but he's a load to bring down and can catch too. Abdullah brings the 3rd down skills as does rookie Laube who might be one of the big rookie surprises this season.
TE
Bowers, Mayer, Bryant
Grade: A
Bowers is a generational all-around weapon to complement Mayer, both were the two best TE in college football for years. If used correctly these two could wreck havoc on the league. Bryant brings a vet presence and reliable blocking TE.
WR
Adams, Meyers, Gallup, Tucker, Guyton
Grade: A+
One of the best if not *the* best group in the NFL. Elite WR1, very good WR2 and WR3 and two 4.3 burners. Nothing else to want in this group.
DT
Wilkerson, A. Butler, Jenkins, Young, Silvera
Grade: B+
Wilkerson is arguably the best DT in the league now that Donald retired. Butler and Jenkins were both 65+ PFF players last year. Young is expected to make a big jump this year. Also need to add Tyree Wilson will play inside on 3rd down where he was effective late last season.
DE
Crosby, Wilson, Koonce, Robinson
Grade : A
Maxx is a top 3 DE in the NFL. Koonce is coming off 8 sacks and a near-elite 81 PFF grade. Wilson was the #7 overall pick and has an offseason to be healthy and really take a step forward.
LB
Spillane, Deablo, Eichenberg, Masterson, Burney
Grade: B
Spillane (77 PFF grade) and Deablo (60.6) already represent a solid group. All-American Eichenburg is a hammer that will add greatly to it.
CB
Jones, Howard, Bennett, Hobbs, Facyson, Richardson, Devonshire
Grade: B-
Jones (71.6) showed he's a legit CB1 and Hobbs (69) is always around the ball. The only question is if Bennett is ready to start on the outside or will one of the rookies beat him out or they end up signing another vet. I'm not concerned I like this group.
S
Epps, Moehrig, Pola-Mao, Smith, Taylor
Grade: B+
Epps (65.4) and Moehrig (70.2) return as well above-average starters and the depth is very good. Taylor could be pushing to start as soon as training camp, he's a draft steal.
Special Teams (3)
K/P/LS
Carlson, Cole, Bobenmoyer
Grade: A+
All return and are one of the best groups in the NFL.
Overall
Grade : B+
This is one of the *best* rosters we've seen around here in a while. The only reason it's not a solid A are the so-called 'questions' at QB. But we have 5 position groups that are top 10 in the league and another 2-3 that are well above-average. This is *not* a 6 win team - take the over 6.5 games all day long. This roster has 9-10 wins in them and a playoff run. Fans should be very excited about the 2024 season.