The Las Vegas Raiders have uncharacteristically done a lot of things right this offseason.
That doesn’t mean they are going to be a contender in coach Klint Kubiak’s first year as head coach.
In fact, it’s more likely they will lose more games than they win. And that’s OK. For now.
General manager John Spytek was aggressive, yet calculated, in pursuing players who are in their prime or ready to enter it.
The plan was evident from the hiring of a young, up-and-coming offensive mind in Kubiak to the free agency period and the draft. Spytek pursued players whose value should continue to rise over the next few years and eschewed those who might already have peaked.
A prudent approach for an organization that too often has been too short-sighted.
The Raiders are in the best position they have been in decades to build something sustainable. To be relevant again. Not for a few weeks at the end of the season but for years to come.
It’s time to show patience. For the new ownership group and fans alike to trust the process.
Because this year isn’t necessarily going to be pretty.
While the Raiders appear to be on the right track, they aren’t good yet. There are still plenty of holes to fill as the structure is put in place.
This year is about laying the foundation. Developing young players and making every personnel and playing time decision based on what’s best for the team in 2027 and beyond as opposed to what is going to help win a game the following Sunday.
And that includes the inevitable decision of naming Kirk Cousins the starting quarterback, even if that seems counterintuitive.
Top draft pick Fernando Mendoza is going to have to live up to the hype if the plan is going to have any chance of working.
But he doesn’t have to be on the field now to do that. The plan always has been to allow him to develop at his own pace.
If he would have blown everyone away in the preseason and established himself as the better option now, the plan could have been altered. But that didn’t happen.
Cousins was the more efficient operator of the offense, while Mendoza flashed the high-end talent that made him the No. 1 pick mixed with the inconsistency of a rookie in terms of operation and decision-making.
If he can incorporate some of Cousins’ strengths and blend them into what he already does well, Mendoza will be fine. He has done a good job of soaking up that knowledge this offseason, and he will get a chance to see how he goes about his business on a weekly basis.
Installing game plans each week and carrying them from the film room to the practice field and the stadium Sunday.
At some point during his rookie season, he will get the chance to show what he has learned.
It’s part of the plan, and Kubiak needs to be given the time and space to implement it. Even when the season inevitably goes south in the win-loss column.
The win total on the betting boards has bounced between 5.5 and 6.5 for a reason. The flaws are evident. But the plan never has been about this year. It’s a developmental season, and all decisions should be made with that in mind.
Starting with Sunday’s roster cuts and the inevitable waiver claims that will be made Monday with the Raiders sitting at the top of the list.
Younger players with higher ceilings should be prioritized this week and throughout the year.
No more signing veterans like Tyler Lockett which Pete Carroll decided to do last year. Why? It still makes no sense to this day why that happened, especially after the failed Amari Cooper experiment.
Last year’s plan made no sense.
It’s why some of you may be thinking, “Why are you talking about another rebuilding year when the Raiders have been rebuilding every year?”
It’s because they’ve never had a plan. They continuously have tried to stick square pegs in round holes and somehow wondered each year why it wasn’t working.
Plans take time, as frustrating as that might sound.
Hopefully the organization allows it to play out this time regardless of results over the next five months.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
