The Las Vegas Raiders can make an improbable playoff run when you consider how their campaign started and the midseason changes the team went through to reach 5-5.
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce has changed the temperature in the locker room, and it’s translated on the field. He’s 2-0 since taking over for former head coach Josh McDaniels, who struggled to optimize the club’s offensive talent.
After wins against the New York Giants and New York Jets, the Raiders will move on to a more challenging stretch in their schedule with games against the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs next up on the slate.
While it’s encouraging to see the Raiders gain momentum before they go up against playoff-caliber squads, they’ll undoubtedly need to raise their level of play, starting on Sunday against the Dolphins.
In order to compete with clubs atop the AFC, Coach Pierce and his staff can make some roster tweaks to match up with the high-flying offenses and stout defenses that his team will go up against in the next few weeks.
We’ll highlight five roster moves that the Raiders can make to help them stack up with top-tier opponents.
Related: Updated NFL game schedule, follow along with each Raiders game
Fast-track cornerback Jack Jones into a big role
On Tuesday, the Raiders claimed former New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones off waivers. Pierce added his own twist to the Patriot Way. He reunited with Jones, who played under him at Arizona State and Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California before New England drafted him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.
If not for academic struggles and off-field transgressions, Jones may have been a Day 2 pick last year. He had a solid rookie campaign as a starter with the Patriots, logging six pass breakups and two interceptions while allowing a 54.1 percent completion rate and zero touchdowns in 13 starts.
This year, Jones fell out of favor with the Patriots and didn’t start in five appearances. He provided a simple explanation for his departure from New England.
“I would say it wasn’t the best fit,” Jones said via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “I can’t really speak too much about it, just because I’m not on the coaching staff. I can’t call it. Just wasn’t the best fit, but I’m glad to be here.”
As a collegian, Jones recorded 26 pass breakups and 10 interceptions in four terms (one at USC and three at Arizona State). He became a first-year starter in New England, which isn’t an easy task for a middle-round pick.
Despite his lean 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame, Jones has the ball skills to earn a sizeable role in the Raiders secondary.
Amik Robertson has played well, but he’s in concussion protocol. Nate Hobbs has missed nine games because of injuries over the past two seasons. Rookie fourth-rounder Jakorian Bennett isn’t ready for a lead role; he’s giving up a 69.4 percent completion rate and a 105.2 passer rating.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Co. should prepare Jones to play by easing him into nickel and dime packages. The Raiders’ eighth-ranked pass defense needs solid reinforcement in case of attrition due to injuries.
Related: See where Aidan O’Connell lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings
Insert Nesta Jade Silvera into the defensive line rotation
Another Coach Pierce pupil from Arizona State, rookie seventh-rounder Nesta Jade Silvera has only appeared in two games this season, logging just two tackles. He played well in the preseason and essentially took Matthew Butler’s spot on the 53-man depth chart.
Through 10 weeks, Las Vegas has allowed 135.6 rushing yards per contest. Starting this weekend, when the Raiders face the Miami Dolphins’ second-ranked ground attack, they will need all big bodies on deck.
Though Bilal Nichols, John Jenkins, Adam Butler, and Jerry Tillery have all had solid games on the interior, the coaching staff should explore Silvera’s upside.
At this point, Byron Young’s inability to make any impact should ring alarm bells. He’s a rookie third-rounder who’s appeared in six games but hasn’t flashed in limited duty.
Clearly, the Raiders’ 29th-ranked run defense needs more help to plug holes on the interior. They need one or both of their rookie defensive tackles to provide some bulk up front.
Related: Top 2023 NFL Rookie of the Year candidates: C.J. Stroud in a league of his own
Experiment with Tyree Wilson’s position on the defensive line
As previously mentioned, the Raiders don’t have a consistent defender on the interior who can stop the run. On top of that, the team hasn’t had an interior pass rusher to take pressure off its edge rushers. Maxx Crosby can wreck the opponent’s game plan, but the Raiders cannot expect him to do it every week.
At 6-foot-6”, 275 pounds, Tyree Wilson may have the size and the quickness, if he gets off the ball with urgency, to win battles at the line of scrimmage on the interior.
Graham should find out if Wilson has inside-out versatility. He can move the rookie first-rounder between the edge rushers on obvious passing downs to test him against slower defensive tackles.
After undergoing foot surgery early this year and missing just about all of training camp, Wilson has had a slow start to the season, but he’s made incremental progress in recent weeks. Since Week 7, the Texas Tech product has logged 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Wilson can pick up momentum in the remaining seven contests, though Graham could unlock another feature of his game by lining him up in different spots between Crosby and Koonce.
Related: How does the Las Vegas Raiders defense stack up to the competition?
Add competition for the backup running back spot
Under Coach Pierce, the Raiders have adopted a physical identity, which features Josh Jacobs in the run game. Over the previous two weeks, Jacobs has registered 53 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
Before last year, Jacobs battled minor injuries that would force him to leave the game or cost him a week or two of action.
Going into Week 11, Jacobs leads the NFL in rush attempts (186), and one has to wonder if that’s sustainable when you consider his workload from the 2022 season. Since Week 1 of the previous campaign, Jacobs has logged a whopping 526 carries.
If Coach Pierce wants to emphasize the ground attack, he should add a reliable No. 2 ball-carrier just in case Jacobs wears down post-Thanksgiving. Zamir White hasn’t proved himself to be a reliable running mate. He lost a fumble in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and nearly fumbled last week in relief duty.
In 10 games this season, White averages 2.7 yards per carry. Interim general manager Champ Kelly should bring in veteran ball-carriers such as James Robinson and Ronald Jones II to compete for the backup running back position. They’re both 26 years old or younger and could use a fresh start in Las Vegas to reinvent themselves in an effort to stir up buzz for free agency in 2024.
Related: 2023 NFL Power Rankings: Evaluating all 32 teams after Week 10
Feature wide receiver Tre Tucker’s speed, even if he’s a decoy
Among the Raiders wide receivers, Tre Tucker has unmatched speed, though he’s only played 27 percent of the offensive snaps. In glimpses between the preseason and Week 9 against the New York Giants, he’s shown the ability to stretch the field on explosive plays. This season, Tucker has hauled in passes for 48 and 50 yards.
In comparison to McDaniels, offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree has opened up the playbook with a little more creativity. As the season goes on, we’ll likely see more of Tucker on the field.
Even if Hardegree doesn’t significantly expand Tucker’s role, he could use the speedy receiver as a decoy and occasionally design plays to target him in order to open up the field for Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer, and Hunter Renfrow.
If you think back to how former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden utilized Henry Ruggs III’s speed to create space for underneath routes, you can see the value in having Tucker go vertical to force defenders to respect the deep ball.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.