It has been a slow week when it comes to Raiders news. Nevertheless, there are some things worth talking about.
Welcome to this weekend’s Raiders news. This is Carlos Sanchez, editor at the Raider Ramble. After losing a bet (he still owes money from another), Mario Tovar asked me to write an article and I decided to take this time to talk about things I find amusing.
The Raiders are no longer playing in Oakland…
The Raiders officially dropped the Oakland moniker off their name. Ahead of the move to Las Vegas, it was just a matter of time and to be honest, it’s just semantics. There are some fans who live in Oakland that are hurting and that’s understandable. After all, they have invested a lot of time and money in the team, but in the end, these are still the same Raiders. Raider Nation is a worldwide brand and besides those fans in Oakland, most of us are ok with the team’s relocation. If anything, they should be happy Las Vegas residents and others will get to enjoy the game experience.
Related: Aspuria’s Assertions: 5 Raiders and what they need to become in 2020
Denzelle Good will make the trip
Good signed a one-year deal with the Raiders and both parties seem to be content with the arrangement, otherwise, the guard could have tested free agency. So far, it looks like a depth move, but I expect him to challenge incumbent Gabe Jackson for the starting position. I wrote about this during the week and really like this under-the-radar move.
The Raiders had a bad draft in 2016
I was checking Jake’s piece about the Raiders 2016 Raiders draft and was shocked at how bad it was. There are only two players left on the roster, DeAndre Washington and Karl Joseph, and once free agency starts, both of them could be gone. It’s not really a good class when just four years after the fact remain and none of those players who were thought to be building blocks are still with the team.Â
Not a big fan of the FA market
It’s too early to know who will become a free agent as teams will re-sign their own and cut others ahead of free agency.
Nevertheless, I’ve checked players who will be available and I’m not encouraged at the names I’ve seen so far. Some are steady players and can contribute, but their price tag will be costly. For example, I like Robby Anderson, but not at the possible price tag he will command. Last year, the Raiders signed Trent Brown and he helped stabilize their offensive line, but the team had to pay retail for it. They can’t just afford to keep overpaying players and instead, they should shop in the second and third wave of free agency, where they can find bargains.
I have needed to leave the Ramble a couple of times because of professional and personal commitments. However, I will now be joining the site on a full-time basis soon. In the meantime, it’s exciting to see the team general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden are building. It sure hasn’t been pretty (the defense) and mistakes (Antonio Brown), but the building blocks are there.
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