All offseason long we've talked about the holes the Las Vegas Raiders need to fill, whether it be through free agency or the 2024 NFL Draft. But in some instances, it's quite possible the Raiders had the answer on their roster all along.
Three of those needs were quarterback, cornerback and wide receiver. However, the Raiders did not make what we'd consider a major addition at any of them, which could mean they're confident in some of the guys they already have.
Sure, Las Vegas signed Gardner Minshew, but they didn't draft a signal-caller. The Raiders did draft a cornerback but waited until the fourth round to do so, and they didn't touch the wide receiver position until after the draft, signing veterans like Michael Gallup and Jalen Guyton, along with some undrafted free agents.
When taking a look at those position groups, there is one player from each who is returning this season but being overlooked, whether slightly or in a big way. Let's see who fits the bill.
Raiders' most overlooked players
QB Aidan O'Connell
After being thrown into the fire midway through the 2023 season, O'Connell had his ups and downs. He did, however, finish the campaign strong, throwing for 853 yards and eight touchdowns to zero picks over his final four games.
Despite looking like a competent quarterback in Year 1, O'Connell hasn't gotten much love going into his second season. Not only has the fan base yearned for a new quarterback in the draft, but the team considered adding one over the three-day event, and the Raiders signed Gardner Minshew earlier in the offseason.
Ahead of training camp, many feel Minshew is going to win the job because of the money the Raiders invested in him, and because of his experience. However, that's very premature, as we simply don't know how big of a leap O'Connell is going to make now that he has a year of experience in the NFL.
WR Tre Tucker
Tucker emerged as the Raiders' No. 3 option in the passing game last season and had 52 yards or more in four contests, with his best stretch of games coming over the last four, when he tallied 170 of his 331 receiving yards and both of his scores.
I don't think Tucker has been as overlooked as the other two players on this list, but with so much talk about Las Vegas' need to add more receivers, and with the recent additions of Michael Gallup and Jalen Guyton, Tucker has been a bit forgotten after showing flashes last season.
Tucker, who offers inside/outside versatility and is a deep threat, will have to battle it out against the aforementioned veterans to win the No. 3 job behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but I think he's more likely than not to do just that. Once he does, he's going to make a bigger impact than most expect.
CB Jakorian Bennett
There has been no shortage of conversation about the Raiders needing to add a cornerback opposite Jack Jones, and that conversation rages on, even after the Raiders drafted Decamerion Richardson.
Bennett only has one season under his belt that saw him play just 360 snaps, yet it feels like he's being given up on already. Granted, Bennett's numbers were bad, but losing faith in him after such a limited sample size is premature. His season did, however, warrant the Raiders bringing in more options.
We've seen plenty of rookie cornerbacks struggle badly in their first year, only to come back better in Year 2. It just takes some players longer than others to make the adjustment from college to the pros, and that's even the case with cornerbacks who ended up emerging as some of the better players at their position in the NFL.
Now, that's not to say Bennett is a lock to make a huge jump in 2024, or even any jump at all. But he deserves more of a look before being completely written off.
