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The NFL Trade Deadline is two weeks away and the Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in familiar and unfamiliar territory compared to past seasons.
Playoff contenders, and also pretenders.
After starting the season 3-0, Las Vegas has fallen to 3-4 and will need to decide soon if they want to try and save their season or pack their bags and focus on next year.
Head coach Klint Kubiak was asked about the Raiders’ potential activity at the trade deadline and said the team is talking about these scenarios “every day.”
“We’re talking every day about those things. [John Spytek] and his staff do a great job, and that’s every day in the NFL,” Kubiak told Sam Warren of The Athletic on Wednesday. “Especially this close to the deadline, you’re talking about many scenarios.”
Two of the Raiders’ losses this season have come by a field goal — against the Chiefs and Bills — who have been regulars in the playoffs the last nine seasons.
The Raiders offense certainly could use an upgrade at wide receiver, as Tre Tucker and tight end Brock Bowers are the team’s leading receivers.
Tucker has emerged as a surprise this season, as he has 29 receptions for 474 yards and four touchdowns, while their offense ranks in the middle tier compared to the rest of the league.
Upgrading at the offensive and defensive line could be another area the team could look to build up at the trade deadline.
Like the offense, the defense also ranks in the middle tier when compared to the rest of the league, as Las Vegas has logged 16 sacks this year with 30 tackles for loss.
If they decide to be sellers, the Raiders could look to move off guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson who has one more year remaining on his rookie deal.
Powers-Johnson was drafted as the team’s future starting center, but hasn’t necessarily developed into the player Las Vegas had hoped. When the team signed Tyler Linderbaum over the offseason, Powers-Johnson was dropped down the depth chart as a backup interior lineman.
Another avenue they could explore is moving off from starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, to pave the way for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to be the team’s starting quarterback.
But the likelihood of that scenario might have to wait.
Kubiak was asked about the team potentially benching Cousins for Mendoza after Sunday’s 35-21 loss to the Rams and said, “At this point we’re thinking about everything.“
On Monday, Kubiak eliminated any potential rumors of Mendoza taking over as he told Vincent Bonsignore of The California Post, “Kirk is our starting quarterback.“
