Some were surprised when the Las Vegas Raiders waived Jakob Johnson on Friday. Well, the writing was on the wall if you were actually paying attention. The fact is, the Silver and Black are moving further and further away from Josh McDaniels’ offense.
Friday morning, Raiders fans across social media were rather intrigued when they saw that Johnson, a favorite of McDaniels and former New England Patriot, was waived. As one of the few NFL teams that still deployed a full-back, Johnson took the place of a fan favorite, Alec Ingold, following No. 45’s departure. With McDaniels now gone, the offense has begun to shift under interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree.
A shift in the Raiders’ offensive identity…
Simply put, the Vegas offense hasn’t seen much use for Johnson or his position. Alternatively, star running back Josh Jacobs has seen a resurgence the last few weeks. You could argue that No. 8 has carried the team for several stretches. Now, in Johnson’s defense, he had been sidelined due to a concussion. Still, Johnson’s usage had been in decline from Weeks 4 through 8. His snap counts each week progressively back up that claim—-25, 10, 17, 16, and five, respectively.
However, despite the news, interim head coach Antonio Pierce let it be known on Friday that Johnson could still return to the team. Pig picture wise, Johnson is very much a one-dimensional talent; he offers little to no benefit in the passing game. Also, Hardegree is still figuring out how to maximize each player on offense, though it’s been a nice sight to see Hunter Renfrow involved again, as one example.
It seems, though, that the Raiders now have what we can call a “modern offense.” A far cry from what McDaniels was trying to field—a Tom Brady-less rip-off. It’s not 2001 anymore, Raiders fans. Rest easy.
*Top Photo: JakobJohnson.com