The Oakland Raiders have made some significant changes in the 2018 NFL season. It has gotten to the point where even Derek Carr cannot deny the impact it has had.
Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper were among the notable players Oakland parted ways with this year. According to Scott Bair of NBC Sports, Carr admits it has been tough without his former teammates:
“I mean, I understand. It’s tough, it hurts and it’s hard,’ Carr said Wednesday. “No one pays me to care about my feelings or any of our feelings. I have a lot of friends that have been cut or traded, not just this year but for five years. That’s always hard. You look around and “Coop” is not sitting behind me in the offensive meeting anymore and Khalil is not sitting next to me in a team meeting. I go to Bruce’s locker and it is not Bruce’s locker anymore. Guys that I am still really close with, that I still talk with, I even talked to this morning…That they aren’t there, absolutely it’s different. Absolutely it’s something that’s not normal to me because I used to come in everyday and see them.
Carr’s comments are certainly not the most encouraging update, however, they are definitely understandable. The trio made up the promising young core that was poised to carry this franchise for years to come. The Raiders’ inability to sign Mack resulted in them dealing him to the Chicago Bears.
When it became clear that they had much more voids to fill, they decided to get rid of Carr’s best weapon albeit in exchange for a first round draft pick. They recently added to their list of key losses after cutting ties with Bruce Irvin. That said, it would be difficult not to feel the impact of their departure.
Unfortunately, there is no time to fret for Carr. The Raiders currently sit at 1-7 and have hardly shown any signs of improvement moving forward. If they have any chance of winning from here on out, Carr will need to play at a spectacular level. However, his performance this season hardly inspires any reason for hope.
Follow @RaidersNationCom on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
