The notion that the Las Vegas Raiders are a “quarterback away” is flawed. This disastrous season reveals a deeper fundamental issue with the Silver and Black team—Shedeur Sanders isn’t transforming them into an instant contender.
More than anything, Raiders brass (owners Mark Davis and Tom Brady) needs to figure out which direction their organization is going. Do they opt for some semblance of stability and allow the duo of Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco to run it back one more year? Or, does Brady revisit his New England Patriots roots and bring in Mike Vrabel to take things over and reset the culture? Either way, a rookie signal-caller isn’t going to mask some of the deeper issues, such as a lack of roster depth. Additionally, the quarterback position in the rest of the AFC West boasts significantly superior talent, and the Raiders are already catching up before they draft Sanders.
To be fair, Las Vegas does feature some weapons on offense that will aid Sanders from the outset. You have arguably one of the best tight ends in the NFL, Brock Bowers, who’d be heading into Year 2. There’s also young speedster Tre Trucker and the reliable Jakobi Meyers, who’ll be there for Sanders. The O-line is also on the upswing with a healthy Kolton Miller and a future stalwart in Jackson Powers-Johnson. In other words, the pieces are there. But who’ll be designing the plays and setting things up?
Red flags that the Raiders could be ignoring…
Statistically speaking, Sanders has thoroughly impressed this season while playing in Boulder. Building on a solid 2023 season, Sanders made a significant impact this year. He accumulated 35 touchdown passes while recording a 74.2 completion percentage. Nevertheless, it’s more about than just the numbers.
First, there’s the character question. When things are good, they’re good. However, when things didn’t go Colorado’s way, you’d often see and hear Sanders complain. Who can forget when he blamed his offensive line in their loss to Nebraska earlier this season? Also, the constant taunting of opponents is childish and won’t fly when you have NFL defenders coming for your head; Sanders clearly has maturing to do.
The second and more important concern has to do with the fact that Sanders hasn’t played against elite NFL defenses. He played at Colorado and Jackson State, neither of which scream “SEC matchups.” Put it this way, folks: Sanders played in the Pac-12 in 2023 and went 1-8 in the conference. Consider this: how effective will Sanders be without Travis Hunter?
There’s no question that Sanders possesses the physical tools to be an NFL quarterback. All the same, he will require time to develop properly, and more importantly, who are the Raiders putting in place to help him? As of right now, we have no idea—it certainly can’t be the Turner father-and-son duo.
Whoever is running the Raiders after the 2024 season needs to go after a proven quarterback, if nothing else, to give Sanders time while remaining competitive. Either pursue a proven quarterback or acknowledge the need for a complete rebuild and proceed accordingly. However, convincing the fans that Sanders can transform your team into a contender could quickly backfire.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
All In On Shedeur Sanders Or Run It Back With Aidan O’Connell If You’re The Raiders?
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