Derek Carr is poised for a big season. Last season, Carr helped lead the Las Vegas Raiders to the playoffs, which was an outstanding feat considering what went on with the Raiders last year. Las Vegas went through a lot the previous season, dealing with the resignation of head coach Jon Gruden and Henry Ruggs III’s car accident.
With a suspect offensive line and Darren Waller missing some time last season, Carr managed to pass for 4,804 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. According to PFF, Carr had a 77.5 offensive grade and 77.5 passing grade. However, Carr’s touchdown numbers were pretty low. Carr has only thrown for only 30 touchdowns once in his career. In addition, the Raiders struggled in the red zone, which hurt Carr’s touchdown numbers. Las Vegas finished 29th in the NFL in the red zone, scoring only 49.23% of their chances.
The Raiders made many changes this offseason, starting with hiring head coach Josh McDaniels. He will help unlock the Raiders’ red-zone troubles. McDaniels helped the New England Patriots be a top-five red-zone offense. With McDaniels running the offense, we could see Derek Carr’s best. We could see the 2016 Carr, but even better.
In 2016 Carr passed for 3,397 yards with 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He was in the running for the MVP award before suffering a season-ending injury against the Indianapolis Colts.
Las Vegas made a big trade acquiring Devante Adams from the Green Bay Packers; Adams and Carr are good friends and played together at Fresno State. Adding Adams’ gives Carr a true No.1 receiver, and Adams is coming in a season where he caught 123 balls, 1,553 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns. With there being history with Carr and Adams, it should take them no time to get back into a routine.
Along with Adams, Carr will have one of the best tight ends, Waller, and one of the best slot receivers Hunter Renfrow. Waller missed some time due to injury last season and was not himself once he returned. In the 2002 season, Waller should be healthy and ready to dominate. Renfrow had a break-out season last year, leading the Raiders in receiving with 103 catches.
With Adams, Waller, and Renfrow, teams will have a hard time covering all three; they won’t be able to double-team everybody. However, all three of them can beat single coverage easily, so Carr will always have a matchup he can exploit no matter who gets double-teamed. In addition, the Way McDaniels uses tight ends and slot receivers in his offense can do nothing but help Carr.
The Raiders can line up Waller all over the field to find mismatches. As a result, Las Vegas should have no problems moving the ball and scoring in the red zone this upcoming season. Carr should be able to post big numbers this year. He should have 4,500 plus passing yards, and he should at least throw for 35 plus touchdowns with McDaniels’ leadership. The Raiders’ offense should be explosive, and with Carr signing a contract extension, all he has to do now is concentrate on football. Carr should have a great season if the offensive line can hold up.
