NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Titans ink Clowney, Chiefs remain clear favorites

Nothing about Jon Gruden’s return to the Raiders has been conventional. He started his tenure by trading away one of the best defensive players in the league, Khalil Mack, and then soon trading Amari Cooper as well. Both deals netted valuable draft capital, which has now been spent. So as the silver and black now reside in Sin City, it’s time for the fruits of Gruden’s labor to ripen.

There have been decisive steps forward for the Raiders under Gruden. For all the things you can fault him for since returning to the sidelines, the fact remains that he’s a good coach who can win games in this league. And now he has pieces on both sides of the ball that should help him do that.

The offseason additions of linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski in addition to the return of safety Johnathan Abram should take a young defense to the next level, even if cornerback is an area of concern. Furthermore, the offense now has a multitude of young weapons with Josh Jacobs, Henry Ruggs III, Darren Waller and Bryan Edwards.

How well the Raiders perform in 2020 could come down to quarterback Derek Carr and whether or not he can prove to be a franchise quarterback. He’s yet to consistently show that but now the excuses are largely gone. No. 21 in these power rankings might be the floor for the Raiders this year but they have the potential to rise if the signal-caller takes a big step forward.