The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2016. Derek Carr and company endured a season filled with turmoil both on and off the field, but were still able to defy the odds with a playoff berth.
Heading into the 2022 NFL season, new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is not looking to go backwards. McDaniels is focused on improving this team rather than considering another rebuild of the storied franchise, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“I don’t think in today’s NFL there’s really any time to do rebuilding anyway,” McDaniels said. “This certainly isn’t that type of situation for us.”
Obviously, new general manager Dave Ziegler is on the same page as McDaniels in terms the direction they want to take the team moving forward. Ziegler made it clear they want to make the Raiders a squad with some depth.
“In terms of what we’re looking for in the draft, free agency, and really the entire team, I would say what we’re looking to do is build depth and competition,” Ziegler said.
The real question moving forward is whether McDaniels and Ziegler will be able to accomplish what they’re set out to do and if that will result in another playoff-caliber team in next season.
Only time will tell as lot of things need to be taken care of ahead of the 2022 campaign, including potential contract extensions for arguably the team’s two best players in Derek Carr and Maxx Crosby.