The Raiders just re-signed DC Patrick Graham. This is a huge relief. Graham is an excellent DC and there was a very high likelihood of him leaving for another team.
Retaining Graham also provides some much needed continuity and sheds a lot of light on what direction they're likely to go. There are a ton of free agents from last year's defense and I think the best players will likely be back.
With that in mind, let's get a look at how the Raiders 2025 roster is looking as we enter the offseason.
Position Groups
I'm going to sort guys by "elite", "good starter", "average", "solid backup" and just hope anyone worse than a solid backup is cut or waived.
QB
1 Solid Backup
AOC is our only real QB and he should be the backup. They need to draft a high upside QB and possibly take a flyer on a vet who they can buy low on.
RB
3 Solid Backups
None of these guys are who you want to build around, but they're all better than the guy who got most of the RB snaps this season: McCormack and Mattison might even be average.
They need to draft or sign a good or elite RB.
WR
1 Good, 1 Average, 1 Solid Backup
The best receiver on this team is in the next group. Adding another average, or better, receiver would be nice, but it's not a priority. They just need depth and scheme fit.
TE
1 Elite, 1 Good Starter
This is the best TE duo in the league. Mayer would be TE1 on most squads and Bowers is the best in the league. They just have to identify a couple of depth guys for special teams and 13 personnel sets.
O-Line
1 Elite, 3 Average, 2 Solid Backup
Calling JPJ "elite" might be jumping the gun, but he was fantastic in the few games that he actually got to play center. Kolton Miller might be good, but he was trash this past season, so I'm calling him average for now. Either way, they should be looking for an elite tackle and better guards.
D-Line
2 Elite, 2 Good Starter, 2 Average, 2 Solid Backups
This line should be the strength of the team and one of the better lines in the league. Despite injuries to three of the four best players, they still played really well last season.
They really don't need to add to this group, but I've been mocking Mason Graham to them, which would mean an absolutely dominant group.
LB
1 Good Starter
Robert Spillane has been better than anyone imagined, but they need to find him better help. Hopefully, that's a combination of high upside rookies and cheap solid veteran FA's.
Patrick Graham mostly uses a nickel defense and even uses dime packages, so there's not a ton of value in loading up on more high-level LB's.
Safety
2 Good Starters, 1 Average
All three of these guys are free agents and they may not re-sign Epps. They mostly just need depth guys.
CB
1 Good Starter, 2 Average, 1 Solid Backup
I had a hard time rating all three of the starters. One of them is probably good, but I'm not sure which one. The bottom line is that this group is fine, but the team needs more high-end talent.
ST
2 Elite
Carlson and Cole are the best special teams duo in the league.
There's room to upgrade pretty much every position, which makes the draft a bit easier. As long as they don't draft anymore TE1's, they can just go BPA.
In free agency, I think the focus should be on the O-line and RB room. If there's an upgrade at QB available, obviously jump on it, but they shouldn't break the bank going after the guys we know are available.