The 2023 Las Vegas Raiders were a classic case of too little, too late. After a 3-5 start to the season that culminated with the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels after a disastrous Monday Night loss to the Detroit Lions, the Raiders have stabilized and found an identity under interim head coach Antonio Pierce.
They have only gone 4-4 under Pierce’s stewardship since his Week 9 debut, but they have also posted the league’s third-best defense in terms of EPA allowed per play in that span behind only the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. Yes, that stretch has included going against the likes of Tommy DeVito, Zach Wilson, Nick Mullens and Easton Stick, but the Raiders have also played against Patrick Mahomes twice in this stretch and held the high-flying Miami Dolphins to only 20 points
But, despite this defensive rejuvenation, the Raiders will not be making the playoffs in the 2023 season, which means their focus shifts to the offseason. They have a vacancy at head coach and general manager. Pierce gave a great audition, but it remains to be seen if he will be the head coach going forward. Whoever is in charge at head coach and general manager will have over $50 million in cap space to play with to improve the team.
There are a few players slated to be free agents that the Raiders should be looking to pursue to make the team better in 2024.
It is a real shame that Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles this season because he was playing arguably the best ball of his career. Cousins has always put up stats, but the numbers he was putting up this season directly translated to the Minnesota Vikings winning games. Cousins ranks fifth in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks in EPA (Expected Points Added) plus CPOE (Completion Percentage Over Expectation) composite score. The only quarterbacks ahead of him? Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, and Josh Allen. That’s not a bad list to be a part of.
Cousins may be slated to be a free agent, but the Vikings do not have an heir apparent at the position in tow at the moment. It’s more than possible that the Vikings retain Cousins, and he’s their guy again for the foreseeable future. But the Raiders are in a similar boat. Aidan O’Connell has had his moments this season, but he ranks 46th among 49 qualified quarterbacks that have played at least 100 plays this season in that same EPA plus CPOE composite score stat. He also ranks 36th in QBR and his 6.3 yards per attempt is nothing to write home about despite having a plethora of weapons like Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Josh Jacobs and Michael Mayer to his disposal.
If what the Raiders defense did since Pierce’s promotion is legit, it isn’t hard to think that with an actual quarterback at the helm, this team couldn’t make noise. Kirk Cousins is an actual quarterback. A lot will depend on his health and rehab, but for a team like the Raiders who don’t have an established quarterback or a young quarterback with legitimate investment to build around, signing Cousins and letting him cook for the next couple of seasons is not a bad idea, especially if the rest of the roster is strong.
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