Believe it or not, with 10 games to go, the Raiders have only two teams left on the schedule with a current winning record.
Sitting at a 3-3 record and the AFC West very much up for grabs, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Jon Gruden had decided to go all-in before the trade deadline with a pair of blockbuster trades.
After watching the Raiders secondary roll over to the Packers on Sunday, it’s only fair to wonder what the defense would have looked like with Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
No doubt, Gruden and GM Mike Mayock would have taken abuse for dumping three first-round picks, but defense is where the Raiders need help and what are the chances they will land three mid-first rounders that will make a greater impact than Ramsey and Fitzpatrick would have – and both aren’t even 25 years old.
The Raiders would still need a pass rusher and wide receiver, but in theory Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby are the long-term answers at defensive end and good wide receivers are available every year in free agency. Furthermore, the Raiders have been moving the ball in the air just fine with a depleted wide receiver group. So as nice as it would be to add a receiver in the draft, maybe Gruden’s offense doesn’t necessarily need a dynamic pass-catcher.
If the Raiders had nabbed Ramsey and Fitzpatrick, take a look at the core players (current age) Gruden would have taken with him to Las Vegas next year:
Derek Carr (28), Trent Brown (26), Kolton Miller (24), Gabe Jackson (28), Josh Jacobs (21), Tyrell Williams (27), Darren Waller (27), Clelin Ferrell (22), Maxx Crosby (22), Jalen Ramsey (24), Minkah Fitzpatrick (22), Johnathan Abram (22).
And those are just the household names we presume to be a big part of the future. Foster Moreau, Trayvon Mullen, Hunter Renfrow, Arden Key, P.J. Hall, Alec Ingold, Maurice Hurst, Nicholas Morrow, and Daryl Worley are all under 25, too.
No state income tax in Las Vegas so add a free agent wide receiver and pass rusher to that group next year and what else do you need?
Of course real-life football isn’t Madden football, so maybe this line of thinking wouldn’t have worked. But it surely wouldn’t have been a terrible idea. A much more terrible idea would be rolling out this type of nonsense every week…
Matt Waldman on Twitter
Gareon Conley caught in awkward position and cannot make optimal tackle attempt https://t.co/949TwkBpE3
Instead of this…
Ted Nguyen on Twitter
Jalen Ramsey’s first big play as a ram– ramming the ball out https://t.co/LBtqSvm13j
twitter: @raidersbeat
I agree with your logic…
I think this scenario is a better fit for Fantasy football than real life, although trading for one of them, would have been interesting. Giving up 3 first rounders over the next two years, with no second pick in 2020, seems a bit unrealistic. Through free agency and the draft, and with plenty of salary cap, the Raiders can continue to build a winning team over the next two years.
I agree these moves would’ve been very bold for them. I believe Al would have made the trades because he for right now and future. But maybe Brown left them a little shook to put the trigger. I really wanted at least one of the two. Read where the Jags would not trade Ramsey to the Chiefs so maybe the Raiders tried and Jags said no.