Anyone who has followed the Las Vegas Raiders long enough knows that just about anything is possible when it comes to this franchise, and that theme is alive and well in 2024.
The Raiders sport a defense that has the potential to be elite after a strong finish to last season, and after the team made a huge addition with the signing of defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. However, there remains an uncertainty at one of the cornerback spots.
The offense is a major question mark, mostly because of the uncertain situation at quarterback, where the team has Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell competing for the starting job.
If the defense holds up its end of the bargain and one of those two quarterbacks are serviceable or better, the Raiders should, at the very least, make the playoffs. However, if the quarterbacks struggle and the defense doesn't live up to expectations, Las Vegas' season won't end well.
When it comes to a nightmare scenario, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon listed his for Las Vegas in 2024, and wide receiver Davante Adams was included in it, as were the quarterbacks and tight ends.
Las Vegas Raiders: Davante Adams continues to decline, two young elite tight ends proves superfluous, and their two backup-caliber quarterbacks perform like backup-caliber quarterbacks.
First off, saying Adams "continues to decline" would imply that he was already on the decline going into this season. That's an unfair assessment of Adams, who had to deal with a mess on offense in 2023.
Not only did Las Vegas make a change at head coach, the team also switched to a rookie quarterback. Despite all that, Adams still found a way to break 1,100 yards.
Now that we have that out of the way, Adams showing decline would be very bad news, as not only would that hurt the offense, it would also hurt his trade value if Las Vegas decides to move him down the line. Turning 32 in December, Adams' decline is coming, it's just a matter of when.
How the quarterbacks perform will make or break the Raiders' season. I do think they can get to the playoffs even if neither one is great, but Las Vegas won't get much further than that.
And, if neither one proves to be a starting-caliber player, the Raiders will be looking at drafting a quarterback in 2025, although a middling season might put them out of range of one of the best ones, just like what happened this year.
I think Las Vegas can avoid the angle Gagnon mentions with the tight ends. There are so many ways to use Brock Bowers and that should allow the Raiders to effectively deploy both he and Michael Mayer often.
