REPORT: Raiders Receive Head-Scratching Offseason Grade

The Las Vegas Raiders had an offseason that was defined by the vision of Coach Antonio Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco: Sign and draft players that fit the mold of the new Silver and Black -- so-called Maxx Crosbys on each level of the defense and, above all, players that are true football players.

The effort to return the Raiders to the team that personified the mottos "Just Win, Baby" and "Commitment to Excellence" has led the team to an offseason that has been misunderstood at best and disrespected at worst.

Yahoo! Sports' Frank Schwab seems to have straddled the line between the two. In a recent power ranking, Schwab put the Raiders at No. 26 in his offseason power rankings. His offseason grade for the Raiders was a C.

Schwab praised the addition of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, however.

"Other than Kirk Cousins, no free agent who switched teams this offseason got a bigger contract," Schwab wrote. "There's sticker shock with his four-year, $110 million deal, but he's a high-character player with a first-round draft pedigree who is proven against the run and the pass. The price was really high, but the Raiders got a good player."

Schwab then seemed to simultaneously criticize and praise the Raiders for their offseason moves. Notably, he criticized the Raiders for not taking a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, a move that would have been an unnecessary risk if anything else.

"Gardner Minshew II was a good insurance policy at quarterback if the Raiders struck out in the draft, which happened," Schwab wrote. "The Raiders lost running back Josh Jacobs to the Packers, but he was coming off a disappointing season and Zamir White had 397 yards in four starts late last season when Jacobs was injured ... The failure to land a quarterback in the NFL Draft has to be accounted for in the grade, but the Raiders got a good player with tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13 overall. The arrival of Bowers is bad news for 2023 second-round draft pick Michael Mayer, but Mayer was the pick from the previous regime and the new front office wasn't going to let that guide its decision. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson was considered a first-round talent and he fell to the Raiders in the second. The Raiders got a few good players this offseason, but they also aren't any closer to a long-term answer at quarterback."

The opposite of what Schwab wrote might be true. The Raiders got plenty of good players in the offseason, like interior offensive lineman Cody Whitehair and Andrus Peat, former Pro Bowl-caliber veterans. A potential linebacker steal with Tommy Eichenberg. A capable blocking tight end in Harrison Bryant.

And when it comes to a "long-term answer at quarterback," the Raiders potentially have one in Aidan O'Connell, who hasn't proven himself out of the job, and Minshew, who is a proven NFL starter.

The Raiders' offseason deserves better than a C.

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