Oakland Raiders: Is Mark Davis meddling with the roster?

At an NFL owner’s meeting, Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis discussed the Amari Cooper trade and said he didn’t fit head coach Jon Gruden’s system.

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis can do what he pleases with the team, but it’s hard to believe he pushed for the Amari Cooper trade to the Dallas Cowboys because of scheme fit alone.

According to Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (subscription required), the decision to trade Cooper made sense to Davis on an X’s and O’s level as he didn’t fit with the current Raiders team.

In recent years, Davis didn’t speak specifics on roster fits. He didn’t publicly discuss an active role in roster management either. However, now with head coach Jon Gruden at the helm, he’s a hands-on owner all of the sudden? It sounds a bit odd.

Cooper corroborated Davis’ comments with his own, per Watkins:

Though Davis holds ultimate power, it’s difficult to think Gruden knew nothing about the owner’s intentions and didn’t at least have a conversation with him about the potential move. The Raiders head coach called Cooper the “main vein of the offense.” There’s no way team brass didn’t have a roundtable discussion, which included Gruden, about an integral piece of the passing attack.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport disputed Cooper’s side of the story on the trade via Twitter:

In general terms, the Raiders run the West Coast offense, featuring plenty of short throws, which we’ve witnessed from quarterback Derek Carr this season. There’s an occasional attempt to go deep downfield.

Though Cooper can go over the top, he’s also capable of racking up several yards after the catch. In 2016, he ranked ninth in yards after the catch (451). His speed allows him to turn a simple first down into a 25-yard gain. So, it’s fair to ask why isn’t he a great fit in the offense? Secondly, a good team doesn’t stick to a rigid system. A top-notch coaching staff would tailor game plans to the players’ strengths.

Regardless of the reason, a trade that once looked desperate on the Cowboys’ behalf, now seems like the pivotal transaction that saved their season.

Since Cooper arrived in Dallas, the Cowboys have a 5-1 record. He’s their leading pass-catcher with 40 receptions, 642 yards and six touchdowns. Meanwhile, in Oakland, Carr has shown improvement in his game, throwing eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions in the last four contests.

One has to wonder if Davis will offer his suggestions to Gruden leading up to the 2019 draft. Perhaps the two will break down film and talk about ideal prospects for the Raiders system since he’s now an informed offensive mind in the grand scheme of things.