Last offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders underwent a number of major changes. Owner Mark Davis brought in Dave Ziegler to be the team’s new general manager and Josh McDaniels to serve as the new head coach. Normally when a team goes through an overhaul like this it is expected to be a process to become a contender, but that was not the case for the Raiders.
Coming off a 10-7 season and a playoff appearance despite a number of off-field distractions, there was a desire to build off of that momentum. When the team then traded for star receiver DaVante Adams and signed pass rusher Chandler Jones, some even picked the Raiders to win the AFC West division.
But things did not go well as the Raiders finished 6-11 and were one of the more disappointing teams in the NFL. But Davis is not panicking, and is instead preaching patience as the Raiders work through all of these changes throughout the team, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
“Unfortunately, every time you change there is going to be changes that those people are going to see but you have to give them time to understand the changes,” Davis said. “I know that a lot of people can watch film and think that they know it all, but watching film doesn’t give you all the answers. You need to watch the games and be there to get the full picture.
“So, yeah, you gotta have patience.”
Davis is not wrong in that it usually takes some time for a coach to truly build the team he wants. There are almost always some players who just don’t fit the new vision or struggle to buy into what the coach sees and Ziegler and McDaniels are still working to fill out the roster the way they see fit.
More big changes have already occurred this offseason with the departures of quarterback Derek Carr and tight end Darren Waller. But the team still has some real centerpieces to build around in Adams, running back Josh Jacobs and defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Davis wanting patience for everything to come together makes sense, but that rarely comes when you are one of the premier franchises in the NFL in the Las Vegas Raiders. Combine that with the big, splashy moves the team has made over the past couple of seasons and the opposite is likely to occur, with everyone expecting greatness.
