Teams around the NFL are doing their best to prepare for the upcoming 2020 season despite the adjustments made to training camp. Health guidelines and protocols have made it much more of a challenge for teams like the Las Vegas Raiders to get their roster up to speed.
The Raiders walk into the new season as one of the most intriguing teams in the league as they added a lot of firepower on offense to complement Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs. Henry Ruggs III, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Bryan Edwards were all weapons drafted in the first three rounds that could make an immediate impact.
The tight end room also got a boost as Las Vegas added Jason Witten to a grouping that already includes Darren Waller and Foster Moreau.
Aside from the skilled positions, the Raiders managed to sign quarterback Marcus Mariota to a two-year, $17.6 million deal. Mariota, who was previously with the Tennessee Titans, will come in and serve as Carr’s backup and is one of the better insurance policies in the league.
Jon Gruden has a knack for hyping up his players and it did not take long for him to gush over Mariota, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
Marcus Mariota “really fired me up today,” Gruden said. “He has turned a corner with his ankle (injury) and he is a dazzling playmaker. He had a very nice day.” #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) August 14, 2020
Mariota offers a different dimension on offense as he is a threat to run with the ball, making him an intriguing option for Gruden should he ever want to break out special two-quarterback packages. The head coach was enamored with Mariota’s skill set coming out of Oregon and it would not be surprising to see Mariota take the field on certain plays.
While having a backup of Mariota’s caliber on the roster is useful, the Silver and Black will still be depending on Carr to break the team back to the postseason. Carr was often criticized for his unwillingness to push the ball downfield, but that should no longer be the case with so many weapons at his disposal.
This will be Year 3 of Gruden and Carr working together but this time around there is a viable option in Mariota waiting in the wings should Carr underwhelm. The Raiders flashed their potential in several games during the 2019 season, so it will be interesting to see if they are able to build on that and get back to playing on the big stage.
