It has been a disappointing start to the season for the Raiders.
Even their biggest critics weren’t predicting a 2-7 start for the Raiders and there hasn’t been a lot to celebrate through the first half of the season.
It’s been a down year for most of the roster, but let’s take a look at the top and bottom three players on the roster in terms of expectations.
This isn’t a list of the best and worst players on the team, but instead, a look at how six players on the roster have performed based on outside expectations.
First, the good…
Adam Butler
Butler signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract prior to the season and his contract has been one of the best deals on the roster from an organizational standpoint.
Butler has played more snaps than any anyone on the Raiders’ defensive line and is second on the team in quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, despite lining up on the defensive interior for all but six defensive snaps on the season.
Even though he turns 31 in the offseason, Butler has earned a solid payday in the offseason.
Jakorian Bennett
No one on the roster has outperformed expectations like Bennett. He might not be a shutdown cornerback, but he has played extremely well against some of the better receivers in the league in his second season.
Jamarr Chase piled up 11 receptions for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Ravens on Thursday, but the previous week he was mostly held in check by the Raiders.
Chase tallied just 43 receiving yards on 7 receptions against the Raiders and Bennett was a big part of the reason why…
Jack Jones was supposed to be the Raiders top cornerback this season, but Bennett has taken over the title in the first nine weeks.
Brock Bowers
Considering the Raiders didn’t come away with a quarterback in the 2024 draft, the Bowers pick needed to be a good one. Everyone believed Bowers was going to be good, but he has turned out be one of the league’s best tight ends in his first season.
Despite shaky play from the quarterback position and an offensive coordinator that couldn’t hold onto his job through the bye week, Bowers is second among tight ends in receptions (57).
If not for an awful offense, Bowers might be in the pole position to be an All Pro this year. As it stands, Bowers looks like a potential second-team All Pro pick behind Travis Kelce.
If the new offensive coaching staff doesn’t achieve anything else in the remaining 8 games on the schedule, it would be nice to see Bowers become the focal point of the offense for more than just opening drives.
Now the bad…
Jack Jones
Some were predicting an All-Pro caliber season from Jones, but he has been average, at best.
Jones is loaded with talent and the season has snowballed in a strange direction for just about everyone on the roster, so maybe he only makes the list because he played so well a year ago.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see what will happen with Jones if head coach Antonio Pierce isn’t back next year. From the outside, it looks like Bennett has secured his future with the Raiders, but the same can’t be said of his counterpart at cornerback.
Zamir White
White makes the list, but he doesn’t deserve to be here. The third-year running back came into the season in incredible shape and every indication was that he was moving in the direction of a big season.
White closed out the final four games of the 2023 season with 397 rushing yards on 84 carries and looked like one of the promising young running backs in the league.
His reward from the organization was to turn the running scheme upside down and introduce a zone-blocking scheme that wasn’t a good fit, seemingly for anyone.
This year, White is averaging 2.9 yards per carry and has 174 rushing yards on the season.
Davante Adams
He isn’t on the team anymore, but has anyone in a Raider uniform this year been more disappointing than Adams?
Not only did he quit on the team, but Adams was also a little more divisive than it appeared from the outside.
Nevertheless, it looks like the chickens have come home to roost on Adams’ season and his situation in New York is worse than what he left in Las Vegas.
The problems with the Raiders can be fixed, but the dumpster fire in New York is going to burn for at least another season.
x: @raidersbeat
That our garbage retread GM didn’t learn anything from his past failures. And that he failed to cherry pick some OT’s from practice squads.
Adams flat out quit on the team he gets everything he deserves in new new York