Davante Adams had a brief injury scare in a joint practice with San Francisco this past week. Adams turned out to be okay, but what if he wasn’t? That thought, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Josh Jacobs, begs the question: What would it look like if the Raiders had to go without both stars?
Vegas Would See Major Changes To The Passing Game
Changes were already coming with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. We will likely see far fewer deep balls with the addition of Garoppolo behind center. Losing Adams would only exacerbate that problem.
Josh McDaniels would have to get rather creative with Hunter Renfrow and Jakobi Meyers on short and intermediate routes. Phillip Dorsett could be deployed to stretch the field a bit, but he is no replacement for Adams. Nor is rookie Tre Tucker, despite an impressive training camp thus far.
This loss would also force rookie tight end Michael Mayer to take on more responsibility out of the gate. The Notre Dame alum is expecting regular playing time, anyway, but the loss of Adams would force the issue.
Austin Hooper is fine as a complementary piece in an offense with a true No. 1 receiver. But, without Adams, Las Vegas would need to find someone else with a lot of natural ability. Hooper is lacking a bit in that department. That’s where Mayer comes in, whether he is ready or not.
Raiders Likely Turn Back To A Running Back By Committee Approach
Last year, McDaniels seemed ready to deploy the same running back by committee approach he used in New England. He even brought in a former Patriots running back, Brandon Bolden. Jacobs had other plans. Almost immediately, it became painfully obvious that the 2022 All-Pro was his own committee, excelling on all three downs.
Without Jacobs, the Raiders would almost certainly morph into a backfield committee. Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, and Damien Harris would shoulder most of the load. Bolden and Brittain Brown could be in the mix as well. That crew will have the impossible task of replicating Jacobs’ success from the prior season.
The former first rounder had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. That is a lot of production to replace with a group of guys who have yet to do anything special in the NFL.
Could The Team Survive Without Davante Adams or Josh Jacobs?
No. Last season, Adams and Jacobs accounted for more than half of the team’s total yards from scrimmage. You simply cannot replace that. If both stars missed in-game action, the Vegas offense would have to focus on controlling the ball and eating up as much clock as possible. The defense would have to step up substantially and almost carry the team.
With this approach, the Raiders might be able to grind out some wins. However, it would require Garoppolo to take care of the football and remain healthy. The defense would have to make a miraculous turnaround in one year. Both seem unlikely.
Without Adams and Jacobs, the franchise would be lucky to win five games. On the bright side, the front office would have a real shot at drafting USC star quarterback Caleb Williams.
*Top Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP Photo