How bright is the future for the Raiders?
Well, according to the good folks over at ESPN, it could be a little brighter.
On Tuesday, ESPN published its "Future NFL Power Rankings," which ranks the outlook of all 32 teams over the next three years.
And the Raiders came in at ...
*drumroll*
No. 20.
Hey, for a team that went 4-12 a season ago, it could be worse.
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The Colts, Patriots, Eagles, Chiefs and Seahawks made up the top five.
ESPN ranked each team based on its roster (minus the quarterback), head coach, front office, quarterback and draft to determine their outlook for the next three campaigns.
The Raiders checked in at
- Roster (minus QB): 20
- Front office: 15
- Head coach: 17
- Draft: 17
- Quarterback: 25
Well, not a rosy outlook for Derek Carr.
Field Yates, Louis Riddick and Kevin Seifert all believe the Raiders' outlook will be determined by whether or not the Carr-Gruden connection is a fruitful one. In Year 1 of Gruden's second reign with the Raiders, Carr had a rough year. With a lack of offensive weapons and a line that had issues with the zone blocking tendencies, Carr only threw for 4,049 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Carr has shown he has the ability to be a top-tier quarterback, and with the weapons, the Raiders collected in the offseason, 2019 could be a different story.
[RELATED: How Raiders' defense stacks up against rest of AFC West]
Riddick lauded the Raiders' draft picks and offseason moves. Oakland added Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Trent Brown, Josh Jacobs, Ryan Grant and Hunter Renfrow on offense. Lamarcus Joyner, Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram and Trayvon Mullen came in to help a defense that was awful last season.
Things are looking up for the Silver and Black. If Carr can rediscover his MVP-level form, good times could be on the horizon.
