Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler hasn’t been afraid to move on from players that were brought in by the previous administration. He was also quick to make the point that this new regime owed nothing to the 2019 draft class. The men who made those picks are long gone. In all likelihood, when Ziegler and Josh McDaniels were hired, their fates were sealed. They declined the fifth-year options for the first-round picks in that class this past offseason. Given the struggles of this season, trying to get additional draft capital might be a priority now.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently broke down trade rumors around the NFL. For the Raiders, he linked Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram as possible trade chips. Fowler also commented that an anonymous NFL executive said that “the Raiders are trying to start new with players who fit their personality. They’ve been pretty aggressive in that.”
Should the Las Vegas Raiders move on from Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram?
Fowler made a solid point regarding Ferrell and Abram. Both players have been the subject of much speculation in the last couple of years, especially Ferrell. Simply put, neither player has lived up to expectations at this point. At the same time, Raiders fans shouldn’t expect too much in the way of compensation.
As far as the roster goes, both Trevon Moehrig and Duron Harmon have seen the bulk of the snaps at safety. “Last week against the Chiefs, Abram played 54 snaps compared to 69 apiece for Harmon and Moehrig,” said Fowler. You’d also expect rookie Isaiah Pola-Mao to see some playing time if Abram is shipped out.
Turning the page on these two draft picks signifies an almost complete purge of the Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock era. While the duo had success with mid-round selections such as Maxx Crosby and Hunter Renfrow, whiffing on several first round picks eventually caught up to them, especially Mayock. The other pick in question is Josh Jacobs. He’s played lights out this season under McDaniels. He’s arguably tied for offensive MVP alongside Davante Adams right now, so his future is looking bright. If he stays healthy and maintains this pace, he’s going to get paid, but whether it’s with the Raiders remains unclear, for now. We all saw what Ziegler did with a limited number of picks this past April. Now imagine having a loaded war chest filled with picks.
*Top Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images
