For years, the Las Vegas Raiders have searched for a viable offensive unit. They’ve tried Devante Adams and paired him with… Jimmy Garoppolo. That failed on more levels than you could imagine.
They also tried Aidan O’Connell, only for them to bring in Geno Smith this offseason. Paired with new head coach Pete Carroll, the Raiders are looking to finally deliver a scary offense that’ll take over the AFC West.
Believe it or not, they have the pieces to do so. Ashton Jeanty was a standout running back at Boise State, amassing 4,769 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns in three seasons. There’s also that Brock Bowers guy, who’s busy excelling in other sports while putting up ridiculous fantasy numbers. Looks like another softball has left Las Vegas Ballpark, folks.
There’s also Jakobi Meyers, who’s ready to take on the No.1 WR role in Las Vegas. Last season, he had 1,027 receiving yards and four touchdowns and expects those numbers to soar. Of course, he’ll need help from his starting quarterback to make that happen.
The burden falls squarely on Geno Smith to deliver
That leaves us with Geno Smith, who comes from a reinvented Seattle Seahawks team. The surprising quarterback was fourth in passing yards last season with 4,320 and threw 21 touchdowns. However, there’s a catch. He also threw 15 interceptions and fumbled the ball six times.
With these great weapons comes great responsibility (thank you, Uncle Ben!). That’s no different for Smith, who worked with incredible talents such as D.K. Metcalf and Jaxson Smith-Njigba in the Emerald City.
But is the former West Virginia star good enough to carry these scary weapons over the top? Well, it’ll certainly make life easier for the quarterback this season. Bowers and Jeanty are two of the toughest players to take down in the NFL, given their abilities to drag opponents with their lower-body strength.
However, those interceptions are also a glaring red flag. On the surface, 72 interceptions might not seem like much for someone who’s been in the NFL since 2013. However, he spent a chunk of his time as a backup. While some of that troubling play came with the QB graveyard known as the New York Jets (36 interceptions in 33 games with the Jets), the onus still falls on him to not shoot himself in the foot.
Smith should benefit from being on a roster upgrade
When you look at the Las Vegas Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks, you’ll notice two teams going in different directions. For the Starbucks drinkers in the Pacific Northwest, they offloaded DK Metcalf and cut players such as Noah Fant to lessen their salary cap burden.
Compare that to the Raiders, who have exciting, young players such as Bowers and Jeanty. Combine that with an exciting receiving core in Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers and Geno Smith has every reason to be happy.
However, this goes back to the original point. The onus falls on Smith. He can’t make reckless mistakes in NFL games, especially when you’re facing teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.
If he avoids that, the Raiders will shock the NFL universe and go on a surprising run. If not, it’ll be the “same ol’ Raiders,” mired in mediocrity despite having solid pieces. Fans certainly know which fate they want.
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