Las Vegas Raiders Again Go With Youth
The Las Vegas Raiders head into the 2020 season with one of the youngest teams in franchise history after making their final cuts to get down the 53-man limit before starting the season on Sunday on the road against the Carolina Panthers.
In fact, this might be the youngest team since the original Oakland Raiders in 1960, when the team was a charter member of the American Football League and had more than 10 rookies on a roster that was in flux for most of the season.
That was in part because Coach Eddie Erdelatz and his staff started from scratch with a new team in a new league, and we're adding and subtracting well into the season.
Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock hope some of their current rookies end up having careers like a few members of the original Raiders, particularly Hall of Fame center Jim Otto, quarterback Tom Flores (a future Raiders head coach and another guy who should be in the Hall of Fame) and guard Wayne Hawkins.
Otto, Flores, and Hawkins are Raiders legends all, who helped build a winning franchise in Oakland within four years, as the Raiders went 10-4 in 1963 when Al Davis arrived after going 6-8, 2-12, and 1-13.
Even though the Raiders traded versatile rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. to the Miami Dolphins, Gruden, Mayock and the rest of the Raiders organization expect big things from their rookie class.
That includes wide receivers Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards plus guard John Simpson on offense, and cornerbacks Damon Arnette and Amik Robertson, and linebacker Tanner Muse on the defensive side of the ball.
In addition, the Raiders have last year’s outstanding rookie class, including running back Josh Jacobs, fullback Alec Ingold, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, safety Johnathan Abram, punter AJ Cole, defensive end Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell, tight end Foster Moreau and cornerback Trayvon Mullen.
“Keeping the best guys is all we’re doing,” Gruden said. “ … We’re going to be young. I’ve been criticized for being too old. We’re going to keep the best players and try to continue to develop them.
“ ... We’re hoping we have the makings of a good, young secondary that can be great someday. And they’re going to be tested we know that, but we didn’t draft these guys to stand on the sideline.”
Gruden was referring to the fact that Mullen and Arnette will be the starting cornerbacks for a franchise that has boasted the likes of Willie Brown, Kent McCloughan, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Skip Thomas, Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes, Charles Woodson, and Nnamdi Asomugha on the corner in their storied history.
And Abram is expected to start at safety, making the Raiders very young but also talented, in the secondary.
“I think they are two young corners that can cover,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said of Mullen and Arnette. “It’s an exciting time. It’s really how you want to do it, is bring young guys in without having bad habits, teaching your system, teach your techniques, your schemes and all those things. It’s exciting to have two young corners that can do that. So, hopefully, they’ll be a tandem for years to come.”
Gruden and Mayock are counting on veterans such as quarterback Derek Carr, center Rodney Hudson, tight end Jason Witten, guard Richie Incognito, safety Jeff Heath, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, and linebacker Corey Middleton to provide the leadership this young crew needs.
After last season’s disappointing 7-9 finish following a promising 6-4 start, the Raiders are hoping, and perhaps gambling a bit, that all this young talent starts paying dividends sooner rather than later.
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