Can Tom Telesco Get the Raiders Back to the Playoffs?
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee, USA Today
The Las Vegas Raiders, three years removed from their most recent playoff berth, are faced with one of the more important offseason in recent years and have a brand-new face running the ship this time around. New General Manager Tom Telesco is tasked with finding a new quarterback and running back in the 2024 offseason and has the 13th overall pick and $42M in cap space to work with.
Telesco is coming over from the division rival Los Angeles Chargers, where he put the franchise in a poor spot. They are faced with many tough contract decisions this year and are tens of millions of dollars over the cap. Raiders fans are hoping he doesn’t recreate that mess in Vegas.
The most important thing for the Raiders this season is getting a quarterback. The Jimmy Garoppolo experiment was short-lived last season and Aidan O’Connell was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. However, there are many routes Vegas can take.
To start, they can get one of the tier two quarterbacks with the 13th draft pick, most likely being Oregon’s Bo Nix or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. However, what Vegas will do with that 13th pick will highly depend on who the division-rival Denver Broncos select at 12 right before them. Washington’s Michael Penix has also been mentioned as one of the tier two guys but hasn’t garnered as much steam as Nix and McCarthy as of late.
Vegas could trade up for one of the tier one quarterbacks, but they have not been mentioned once to be in that market. The most likely QB route for the Raiders is through the free agent market, where names such as Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield should be available. No matter which route Vegas goes, they have plenty of options to avoid putting O’Connell under center for another season.
Next up on Telesco’s agenda is diagnosing the backfield after Josh Jacobs had a large regression in 2023. Jacobs is set to be a free agent, but there is once again lots of free agent talent to fill the gap. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Tony Pollard will all headline the free agent class which is very deep this offseason. In the draft, there aren’t any backs that will be drafted on day one, but day two has talented players such as Michigan’s Blake Corum. Las Vegas’ 77th pick seems like a viable spot to take one of those backs if they choose to go younger.
Another facet of the offense that needs to be addressed is the line. If they don’t go quarterback, they will still have offensive tackle options available, most likely being Alabama’s JC Latham and possibly Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga. Another intriguing tackle prospect is Georgia’s Amarius Mims, but would be a candidate if Vegas were to trade back into the mid-late first round. He doesn’t have a lot of experience under his belt, but his raw talent and size gives him the tools to be one of the league’s great tackles.
Filling the gaps on offense is most important to Telesco and the rest of the Raiders organization to not waste another year of Davante Adams. On the defensive side of the ball, Vegas could use help inside and at corner.
The Raiders do have roughly $42M in cap space, which is plenty to throw an offer at All-Pro lineman Chris Jones, who would elevate Vegas’ defensive line play tremendously. If they choose to go with a rookie, the 44th pick is a spot that makes sense to nab LSU’s Mekhi Wingo or Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat, two names who wreaked havoc on the college football world in 2023.
Finally, corner is another spot that Telesco needs to address. There are plenty of great free agent targets at corner such as Kyle Fuller and Adoree’ Jackson. If Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed opt to not resign with their current teams, those will be two names at the top of the list, and Telesco has the cap space to go after them. Corner isn’t as much of a need as the other spots, so if Telesco targets one in the draft, it most likely won’t be until round three at the earliest. TCU’s Josh Newton is a mid-round name who is very talented and could impact this defense in great fashion.
Telesco has been granted with a second chance after failing with the Chargers. The Raiders are in a position where they aren’t far away from heading back to the postseason, but Telesco needs to make the right moves to get them there.
