Raiders' Keys to Improving Offense Under Josh McDaniels in 2022

The Las Vegas Raiders have brought in Josh McDaniels to take the franchise to the next level and, ostensibly, develop an elite offense. 

After all, that's the side of the ball the coach has made his name with. The longtime New England Patriots assistant has worked with Tom Brady, but he's also helped craft offenses that have made the playoffs with Tim Tebow and a rookie Mac Jones.

Whether it was as Patriots offensive coordinator or in his time as head coach of the Broncos, the 45-year-old has been able to put his offenses in a position to succeed. 

McDaniels will be expected to do the same in Las Vegas. While it may take time to fully implement his system and the type of culture he wants to establish, the offense will be held to a higher standard right away. 

These key areas will ensure he gets off on the right foot. 

A new regime means a new look at the roster, and left tackle Kolton Miller is the only one who should be a lock to be a starter on the offensive line next season. 

The Raiders' offensive line finished at No. 28 in PFF's final rankings for the season. While playing the most valuable position along the line, Miller posted the highest grade by far and only gave up four sacks. 

Everywhere else, the Raiders should be looking to the draft, free agency or the trade market to improve. 

McDaniels has to know this from his days in New England. The Patriots have always valued the offensive line when building their rosters, and Mac Jones enjoyed a strong rookie campaign due to a unit that finished ninth in the PFF rankings. 

The Raiders have $21.4 million in cap space and three picks in the top 100. Some of those resources have to go toward building a unit that can clear run lanes for Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake while protecting quarterback Derek Carr. 

Analyzing the success of the Las Vegas offense last year depends on what metric you look at. On one hand, it was 11th in yards per play and eighth in yards per pass, and it had no issues moving the ball between the 20s. 

However, the ineffectiveness of the offense was never more pronounced than in the red zone. The Raiders were 28th in touchdown percentage deep in enemy territory. Compounded by the NFL's worst red-zone defense, the team simply didn't execute well enough in the most critical part of the field. 

Hunter Renfrow and Josh Jacobs were the most utilized weapons inside the 20. The former had nine receiving touchdowns there, while the latter added nine on the ground. 

Getting 6'6" tight end Darren Waller back healthy is going to help. But finding another big-bodied receiving threat who can win contested catches would be helpful as well. 

The good news is that New England thrived in the red zone under McDaniels. It was seventh in touchdown percentage this season after finishing 24th in 2020. The offensive coordinator has addressed the problem before and made a quick turnaround. 

It's an area that will have to be better for him to get off to a good start in Vegas. 

All three of these areas are linked. The Raiders were one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league last year, which likely had to do with the porous offensive line that lead to the red-zone woes. 

That doesn't actually help the offensive line, though. The fact that the Raiders threw the ball 62.9 percent of the time meant defensive lines could get aggressive with their pass rushing. 

The Raiders were fourth in passing play percentage. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the few teams that passed more, which is understandable when you have Tom Brady throwing to Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin. 

However, it's less of a positive when it's Derek Carr throwing to Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs.

The Steelers and Jets are the other two teams that favored the pass more. Both featured bad offensive lines and largely ineffective run games.  

Ultimately, bringing in a more physically imposing offensive line will help Las Vegas finish drives and develop a better run game.

The Raiders can win with Carr, Renfrow, Waller and another receiver being at the heart of the passing game, but they need a complimentary run game to make the offense more well-rounded.