The Raiders are in the midst of a full-scale roster teardown, which precedes a rebuild that will take time. Coach Jon Gruden decided it was necessary, and has the job security required to execute a long-term vision that, at times, sacrifices short-term gain.
Owner Mark Davis told ESPN on Sunday that he believes poor drafts -- in 2016 and 2017, especially -- have put the Raiders in a difficult spot and necessitated a complete roster overhaul to stay right with the salary cap. This will be the second rebuilding project since Davis took control following his father Al Davis' death in 2011.
General manager Reggie McKenzie was in charge of the last attempt to set up the franchise for sustained success. It didn't last. Gruden will be in charge of the next one.
The coach has been given authority to construct the roster as he sees fit, which has led to some controversial decisions, like the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades.
It's uncertain where that leaves McKenzie, especially after his recent draft struggles have been blamed for necessitating this roster teardown.
"Reggie and I need to sit down and talk and figure out how we are going to go about the future," Davis told ESPN. "We've got to look in the mirror and figure out, ‘Where the hell did we go wrong in trying to build this thing?'
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"We failed. I have failed. But at the same time, we wouldn't have been in the great position we were in without Reggie McKenzie being here."
McKenzie has done an excellent job with the salary cap, and he has helped allow Gruden to purge several contracts without dead money attached. That will be the case again this offseason, where just eight players would come with a significant cap hit if cut. Gruden can mold this roster and pay players he wants to have around, with Davis' complete support despite a rough start in his Raiders return.
"I understood it was going to be a lot of work, but Jon has a 10-year contract," Davis said. "I know how hard Jon Gruden works. I know how much he wants to win. And how much days like today (following a 20-6 loss to the L.A. Chargers) are killing him.
"Having Jon Gruden here was the end game for me. Jon's going to be the stability here. Jon's going nowhere. That's just the way it is."
The Raiders were a playoff team in 2016, leaving many surprised to find the team in such dire straits just a few seasons later. There were building blocks for sustained success, though it has become vogue to question if that was a mirage.
Gruden believes the team must rebuild, and he's making moves required to do so.
"It's been all part of an evolution, but I think it's becoming clearer and clearer to Jon as well that the talent is just not here at this time," Davis said. "The drafts did not help supplement what we were doing in the free-agent market. If you look at our roster now, it's a bunch of free-agent one-year guys that are mercenaries. And they're great guys and they're Raiders. Once a Raider, always a Raider ... but we just don't have the overall talent of a 22-man roster."
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