Mailbag: Can Aidan OConnell or Gardner Minshew lead Raiders to playoffs? – Silver And Black Pride

Training camp is on the horizon for the Las Vegas Raiders as its less than two weeks away from rookies reporting to camp, meaning the regular season is inching closer and closer! With that, we have a bunch of season preview questions to get to for this weeks mailbag, so lets get to it.

Q: Do you think Aidan OConnell or Gardner Minshew can lead the Raiders to the playoffs this year?

A: Regardless of who wins the quarterback competition this summer, I expect Las Vegas to finish in the seven- to nine-win range. So, if the team can get to the latter, they have a chance at making the playoffs with a little bit of help, but the odds arent in their favor. I will say this though, I think the Raiders chances are better if OConnell wins the job since he has more room for growth as a younger player. It just depends on how quickly he can hit the ground running, starting with winning the job in training camp.

Q: Does Anthony Brown have any chance of shocking the world and being QB1 this year? Seems to me like he had the best camp.

A: A chance? Sure. A good or even decent one? No.

Brown would have to take a giant leap forward in training camp and likely wont get any reps with the first team seeing as those will be split up between OConnell and Minshew. His best opportunity at becoming the starter is by beating out Carter Bradley for the QB3 job and then getting an opportunity to start if OConnell and Minshew get injured. If Brown were to play well in that situation, then the discussion of him being the long-term starter would be on the table.

Q: In your opinion, do the Raiders have a Top 10 NFL roster? If not, where is it?

A: I wouldnt put the roster in the Top 10 given the instability at quarterback and cornerback. To me, its closer to the 15 to 18 range, hence my skepticism about the team being a postseason contender.

The Raiders defensive line and receiving corps are definitely Top 10 units and Kolton Miller is a stud left tackle. But they do have question marks along the offensive line and at running back. Also, the only linebacker I have a good amount of confidence in is Robert Spillane, so I cant put Las Vegas in the upper third of the league heading into the season.

Q: Who do you think has the edge heading into camp to start opposite Jack Jones and do you think they still might bring in a vet to fill that spot?

A: Jakorian Bennett was reportedly getting the majority of the first-team reps during OTAs and minicamp, and a lot of his issues last season were mental which a year of experience can help fix. So, Bennett would be my pick to win that job in training camp.

Ill take this as my weekly pitch for the Raiders to sign a veteran cornerback! I certainly want the front office to bring someone in, but there hasnt been any news on that front. Maybe they sign someone right before camp like Marcus Peters did last year, but Peters had at least visited with the organization at this point a year ago.

In other words, its looking like Las Vegas will head into training camp with the corners it already has. Maybe the team gets a week or two into practice and the front office decides to be more aggressive, but I wouldnt hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

Q: Outside of CB, who is a player youd like to see added before the season starts?

A: I think the Raiders could use a backup option for John Jenkins in case something were to happen to Jenkins and they dont have another notable nose tackle on the roster. So, Linval Joseph could be a good option to fill that role.

Joseph is obviously passed his prime as hell turn 36 in October, but hed at least give them a veteran insurance policy to help stop the run if Jenkins were to go down. I could see the coaching staff letting the young defensive tackles battle it out during training camp and then adding Joseph, or someone else, to the practice squad right before the start of the regular season.

Q: What are your thoughts on Isaiah Pola-Mao? Whenever he got on the field, he seemed to make plays.

A: I wrote a film room piece on Pola-Mao about a month ago (see below) and Im excited to see what his role is on the team this season. As you mentioned, hes made a handful of plays in the few opportunities hes gotten so far and the coaching staff had some good things to say about him during the spring. I think Pola-Mao can be a good fit in Patrick Grahams system as a versatile safety, Id just like to see him improve as a run defender when playing in the box.

Q: If the NFL is so hellbent on having 18 games on the schedule, why dont the players ask for an expanded roster? Maybe 60 players instead of 53?

A: I think the players and NFLPA would push harder for an extra bye week and a higher salary cap before asking for expanded rosters. The extra bye means their bodies have more time to recover and more cap space allows them to make more money since the league will get more revenue from the TV contracts. Expanding rosters would negate the latter a bit because teams would have to pay more players.

With the 18-game schedule, I think most players are more concerned with the wear and tear on their bodies and being compensated for playing an extra game than they are about their teams depth. The best players are going to be on the field every week regardless of how big the roster is, so expanding the roster isnt going to do much for their concerns.

A: I definitely think Christian Wilkins will be a factor on third downs. Where the Giants were coming from is historically, Wilkins hasnt been a great or elite pass rusher, but he was much better last season. For example, Pro Football Focus had him logging a career-high 61 pressures last season which was nearly double his previous best of 33.

Also, Touchdown Wires Doug Farrar pulled a stat from Sports Info Solutions that Wilkins was tied with Chris Jones and DeForest Bucker for the second-most third-down pressures (27) from interior defensive linemen in 2023 trailing only Quinnen Williams. So, dont get worried about what the front office that signed Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract thinks!

A: Ill put it this way, I think Antonio Pierce would have gone full Mike Ditka and traded a boatload of draft picks for Jayden Daniels if it were up to him and Tom Telesco is notorious for never trading in the draft. Mark Davis might set the budget and Pierce will have influence, but the roster decisions are ultimately up to Telesco.

A: In the sense that there will be two tight ends with their hands in the ground more often than not, not necessarily because Brock Bowers can be used like a slot receiver. But I would expect to see 12 personnel as the base personnel package with Bowers, Micheal Mayer, Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers on the field, if thats what youre referring to.

Then, Tre Tucker would be the 12th man so to speak who still gets a decent amount of playing time as the change-of-pace receiver. If I had to guess, Id say Tucker and Mayer wouldnt be on the field together that much, subbing in and out for each other.

Thatll do it for this weeks mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if youd like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.

Go here to see the original:

Mailbag: Can Aidan OConnell or Gardner Minshew lead Raiders to playoffs? - Silver And Black Pride