Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller has the feel of the NFL's next big thing. 

The NFL has no shortage of star players at a tight end position that continues to evolve at a faster clip than most. Guys like Travis Kelce and George Kittle are simply too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs, making them matchup nightmares for defenses—or the best of dreams for offenses. 

And Waller might be on a rocket that zips past Kelce at this stage of his career. 

Look no further than Waller's performance Monday night as his Raiders took down the Baltimore Ravens in an overtime thriller to start their season. The Derek Carr-directed offense attempted 56 passes to just 21 rushes, with Waller leading both teams in targets at an astounding 19. 

Waller turned those chances into 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown as he sliced through a game Ravens defense, doing pretty much whatever he wanted while giving teammates favorable matchups elsewhere as the Ravens dialed in on stopping him. 

This isn't an isolated incident either. ESPN's Field Yates illustrated his recent dominance: 

Darren Waller's last six games:
* 10 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD
* 9 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD
* 5 catches, 112 yards
* 9 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD
* 7 catches, 75 yards
* 13 catches, 200 yards, 2 TD

Unstoppable.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 14, 2021

A former sixth-round pick, from 2015 to 2018, Waller never appeared in more than four games. He's 29 now, but between 2019 and 2020, he posted consecutive 1,100-yard seasons with 12 receiving touchdowns in total. 

After Waller's performance Monday night, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden had this to say about the tight end Las Vegas claimed off Baltimore's practice squad in 2018, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review Journal: "We threw it 60 times. If you throw 60 times, you'd probably target him 29. He's the best player I've ever coached, so I'm going to continue to look for him."

Granted, Gruden has a flair for the dramatic. But still, it's huge praise from someone who has coached the likes of league-altering players like Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp and countless others. 

Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders' Week 2 opponents, said Waller compared more closely to his team's No. 1 wideout, Chase Claypool, than he does to any of the team's tight ends, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. It speaks to the level of respect other teams and the NFL as a whole have for Waller. 

Most yards after the catch since 2019:

🥇 Austin Ekeler - 1,432
🥈 Alvin Kamara - 1,299
🥉 Darren Waller - 1,188 pic.twitter.com/20sspaeJJB

— PFF (@PFF) September 8, 2021

During Kelce's reign at the top from 2018 to 2020, he posted a minimum of 1,229 receiving yards per season and scored 26 total receiving touchdowns. But last year was the first time Waller received the 130-plus targets Kelce has enjoyed for years.

One could argue Kelce has also had the benefit of playing with the better quarterback, play-caller and supporting cast around him in each of the last two seasons, too. Even last year, a hodgepodge of names below Waller on the receiving chart, led by Nelson Agholor, simply weren't scaring defenses the way Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Mecole Hardman do. 

If anything, sheer volume alone should catapult Waller to the top of most lists by season's end:

TE routes run in Week 1

Darren Waller - 59 (T-1st)
Travis Kelce - 39 (6th)
George Kittle - 16 (42nd)

Kyle Shanahan come on bruh

— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) September 14, 2021

It isn't all about the numbers either. Where Kelce gets to run free of doubles often (those mostly go to Hill) on consistent deep patterns with the league's best deep passer under center, Waller is speedier with a more versatile bag of routes. Both do major damage of course, but Waller's comes nearly independent of quarterback skill or desired schematic approach. That's not to say Kelce is schemed production by any means, but defenses have quite a bit more to worry about when lining up against the Chiefs. 

Consider this from over the summer from Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus: "While some tight ends need to be schemed production, Waller is fully capable of lining up out wide and beating cornerbacks as a receiver. His 2.3 yards per route run when lined up outside in 2020 were more than any other tight end with at least 75 such routes, including Kelce."

One defensive coach interviewed by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler this summer pointed this out plus the lack of talent around Waller: "Defenses knew he was the guy to stop every week, and they couldn't do it. It's not like he had talent all around him. He's the best athlete at the position, he's young, he's a capable blocker, and he can just overwhelm you in the passing game with his athleticism and speed."

Like Kelce, Waller is some of the justification teams point at when drafting a T.J. Hockenson eighth overall (2019) or making Kyle Pitts the highest-drafted tight end ever at No. 4 this year. While there might be other players like Kelce soon enough, the blend Waller represents (and what Atlanta hopes it has with Pitts) just isn't as common—and if it becomes common in the future, Waller might end up as well ahead of his time. 

For now, he'll have to settle for sitting as the league's best tight end. What he's put on film so far has defenses scrambling to stop him, yet nothing seems to work. He can go wherever he wants on the field and do whatever he wants pretty much independent of surrounding team factors. If opportunity remains the same, Waller should surpass all tight ends in production. He's still developing on an upward curve and was, after all, just another name on a practice squad as recently as 2018.  That should see him slide into the No. 1 spot as this season progresses.

Las Vegas Raiders offensive guard Denzelle Good suffered a season-ending torn ACL during his team's 33-27 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed explained what happened.

"On the first possession of the game, starting right guard Denzelle Good went down with a knee injury," Reed wrote. "Good came back into the game in the second quarter but couldn't finish the possession and had to head to the sidelines for a second time."

The seven-year veteran made his first NFL appearance in 2015 for the Indianapolis Colts. The seventh-round pick out of Mars Hill played with them until December 2018, when Indianapolis waived him. The then-Oakland Raiders soon picked him up, and he's been with the Silver and Black ever since.

The 30-year-old has started 43 of his 62 career games, including 14 of 15 games last year.

Good opened this season at right guard on a short-handed offensive line that was missing guard Richie Incognito (calf) to start the year.

The Raiders will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers, who beat the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills 20-13 on the road to start their season.

They are a little banged-up besides Good, as Raiders head coach Jon Gruden noted postgame. Of note, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, edge-rusher Yannick Ngakoue and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota may be out for some time.

Gruden later added Ngakoue to that list. https://t.co/aCoF9MuK1v

— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 14, 2021

Reed provided a preview of what the guard spots should look like if Incognito can't return from his calf injury.

Denzelle Good really came back in and tried to keep playing on a torn ACL. Man, that's tough. If Richie Incognito (calf) can't make it back this week, it'll be Jermaine Eluemunor starting at guard alongside John Simpson.

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 14, 2021

Gruden shouted out Jermaine Eluemenor in his chat with reporters on Tuesday, saying he did an "unbelievable job" in Good's absence, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET Sunday from Heinz Field.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib commented Monday night on becoming the first publicly out player to appear in an NFL regular-season game.

According to Josh Peter of USA Today, Nassib told reporters: "I'm happy we got the win on the day I kind of made a little bit of history, which was really, really nice to do. I had a lot of people come before me in the LGBTQ community that helped me get to where I am, and I'm super thankful for that."

Nassib announced he is gay in June, making him the first active NFL player to come out. He also made history by appearing in Monday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens, as no out player had ever made a regular-season roster.

Defensive end Michael Sam spent time on the St. Louis Rams' preseason roster and Dallas Cowboys' practice squad in 2014 after coming out, but he never played in a regular-season game.

With Nassib playing a pivotal role, the Raiders outlasted the Ravens 33-27 in overtime to start the season 1-0.

While the 28-year-old Nassib didn't start Monday, he still managed to record three tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in the Raiders' triumph.

Nassib's strip-sack of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson came at a key time, as Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had just thrown an interception in the end zone while driving for the winning score in overtime.

The momentum was squarely on Baltimore's side, and it needed only a field goal to win the game, but Nassib got to the electric Jackson and forced the turnover:

NASSIB.

THE RAIDERS GET ANOTHER CHANCE.

📺: #BALvsLV on ESPN/ABC
📱: https://t.co/NS3IxESidh pic.twitter.com/WpBtIxFOFD

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2021

Two plays later, Carr threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zay Jones to win the game.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said of Nassib's forced fumble: "That was big. He made us a big play at the end of the game. ... He's had a great training camp, and we're going to need him here obviously as we move forward."

Notably, Nassib was active Monday night over 2019 No. 4 overall draft pick Clelin Ferrell, who was a healthy scratch.

The 28-year-old Nassib was originally a third-round pick out of Penn State by the Cleveland Browns in the 2016 NFL draft.

Nassib spent two seasons each with the Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing with the Raiders ahead of the 2020 season.

Nassib now has 21.5 sacks in 74 career regular-season games, and he is on an early track to top the career-high of 6.5 sacks he set with the Bucs in 2018.

As the Raiders now look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Nassib figures to be a big part of the team's defensive success.

The Las Vegas Raiders teetered on the edge of the abyss—or a black hole if you will—only to find their way to a miraculous 33-27 overtime victory Monday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Fans booed an uninspired first-half effort during the first fully attended football game at Allegiant Stadium since the pandemic began. The Ravens looked like all-but-certain victors on multiple occasions. The Raiders did everything in their power to give away the contest. 

Yet an unheralded bunch of targets emerged throughout the contest to breathe life into the franchise. 

Before the turnaround, the Raiders offense had been very predictable in the first half. If quarterback Derek Carr dropped back to pass, he targeted tight end Darren Waller, who in fairness is a unique offensive weapon. After all, he finished fourth among all players in the league last season with 104 receptions.

"He's the best player I've ever coached," head coach Jon Gruden told reporters after the contest. 

But the insistence on feeding the tight end throughout the first two quarters bordered on laughable. In total, Carr targeted Waller 19 times. The sure-handed mismatch caught 10 of those passes for 105 yards and a score. 

"If you threw it 60 times, you'd probably throw it to Waller 29 times," Gruden joked. 

Obviously, teams should take advantage of their best offensive weapon and do so regularly. 

In the Raiders' case, Waller's production has been both a result of his immense talent and the organization's inability to properly cultivate wide receiver talent. The team invested heavily in the position over the past two years by bringing in veteran free agents Tyrell Williams and Nelson Agholor and drafting Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards in the first and third rounds of the 2020 draft, respectively.

Williams was released this offseason after struggling with injuries, and Agholor signed a big deal with the New England Patriots as a free agent. Those departures heaped pressure onto the second-year receiving duo of Edwards and Ruggs that combined for 645 yards as rookies. Obviously, that effort wasn't good enough, even though injuries slowed their progress. 

During Monday's contest, the Raiders received big contributions from Edwards, Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow and Zay Jones. 

"Playing against a defense like this—I've played [the Ravens] four or five times in my career—it's the most difficult thing you can do," Carr said during a postgame interview. "It took us a while to get going. But once we did, we were able to score some points." 

For context, the quarterback completed 12 first-half passes. Wide receivers snagged only four of those, and none of them went to Edwards or Ruggs. 

Renfrow became the only target beyond Waller to demand the ball and warrant attention from the defense. The Ravens countered by placing their best cover corner, Marlon Humphrey, on the slot receiver. Renfrow still caught six passes for 70 yards when it was all said and done. 

With the Ravens winning 17-10 going into the fourth quarter, the Raiders came alive. A Lamar Jackson fumble in Baltimore's territory led to the game-tying touchdown. The Ravens immediately responded with a score of their own. From there, the Raiders' other weapons began to shine. 

A 37-yard strike to Ruggs placed the Raiders in the red zone. Waller caught yet another game-tying touchdown. Once again, Baltimore responded. Justin Tucker converted a 47-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining. 

On Las Vegas' next two plays, not including spiking the football to stop the clock, Carr threw the ball to Edwards over the middle of the field for 38 combined yards. Kicker Daniel Carlson booted a 55-yarder through the uprights with two seconds remaining in regulation.

Edwards nearly ended the game in overtime with an impressive 33-yard grab down the sideline, though the second-year target came up a half-yard short of the goal line. Officials originally ruled the play a touchdown, only to have it called back.

In a truly whacky sequence, the Ravens stopped a quarterback sneak on first down. Rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood jumped before the snap and cost the offense five yards. Carr then threw an incompletion intended for Renfrow. On 3rd-and-goal, Willie Snead IV came open for what should have been an easy game-winning touchdown toss. The ball went through the wide receiver's hands, bonked off a Ravens helmet and ricocheted into an interception. 

The Raiders couldn’t score from here 🥴 pic.twitter.com/NsPvCUsrYX

— PFF (@PFF) September 14, 2021

Fortunately for the Raiders, Jackson fumbled on the very next drive.

Baltimore's defense decided to be aggressive since Las Vegas was already in scoring position. After a failed first-down run, Carr and Co. faced 2nd-and-14 from the Ravens' 31-yard-line. Baltimore defensive coordinator Wink Martindale decided to send eight after Carr. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Ravens are only the second team that has done so in overtime since the start of the 2016 campaign. 

Carr backpedaled, lobbed the ball from off his back foot and found a wide-open Jones for the game-clinching scoring connection. 

THIS TIME IT'S OFFICIAL. THE @RAIDERS WIN IN OT. #BALvsLV pic.twitter.com/2nKtGc3XmF

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2021

"Since Zay Jones got to our team, every time I've asked him to throw, he's been there at 6 a.m.," Carr said. "He's never missed one [session]. So to see him come up with a game-winner like that...I hope everyone in the world roots for Zay Jones because he works harder than anyone." 

At his best, Carr is a distributor. He can't get locked into one target, even someone as good as Waller. The quarterback has weapons, and they're maturing around him. 

"Edwards has great ability," Gruden said in August. "He's got great ability. I'm excited about him. You see he looks like [Terrell Owens], he looks like one of the number one wideouts in the league. And Ruggs is putting it together. I think his experience shows."

True offensive balance is about getting the ball into the hands of all the available weapons. Carr eventually did Monday night during his 435-yard passing performance. It can't just happen for one quarter, though. Edwards does have the physical traits to be a true No. 1 wide receiver. Renfrow always finds a way to get open. Ruggs' 4.27-second 40-yard-dash speed adds a scary vertical threat. Clearly, Carr and Jones have a rapport. 

The Raiders showed what they can do in a very small sample size. In order to compete in a loaded AFC with other potent squads likes the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and even Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas offense must build upon what it achieved Monday. 

The season could have gone off the rails rather quickly in Sin City. A loss would have resulted in cries for numerous changes. Instead, the Raiders finally have something to be excited about with Carr throwing to multiple talented options other than Waller. 

                                  

There weren't many typical developments during the Las Vegas Raiders' 33-27 overtime victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, including the winning team's tight end receiving 19 targets.

Head coach Jon Gruden said there was a perfectly valid reason for that number.

"He's the best player I have ever coached," Gruden told reporters when talking about Darren Waller.

"Dang, that's crazy he said that," Waller told reporters when informed of his coach's comments.

There's no doubt Waller was the best player on the field for extended stretches.

He was a bright spot for the Raiders offense as they struggled to establish much of a rhythm in the early going and then was Derek Carr's go-to option with the game on the line. None of Waller's 10 catches that went for 105 yards were bigger than his touchdown in the final four minutes that set up an unbelievable sequence the rest of the game.

It appeared as if Baltimore would win it when Justin Tucker kicked a 47-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining. Then Las Vegas responded with a 55-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson to force overtime.

It seemed as if the Raiders won in overtime when Carr found Bryan Edwards on a deep ball, but he was ruled down at the 1-yard line upon further review. The home team then moved back on a false start and turned it over on a Carr interception only to get a second chance when Lamar Jackson lost a fumble on the ensuing drive.

Carr capitalized on the second chance with a touchdown pass to Zay Jones to win it.

It was a memorable game, just like Gruden's comments about Waller were memorable in the aftermath.

Gruden coached the Raiders from 1998 through 2001 and then led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 through 2008 before returning to the sidelines with the Raiders prior to the 2018 campaign. He won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay and coached players such as Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Keyshawn Johnson, Mike Alstott, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Warren Sapp, Ronde Barber and Simeon Rice.

That is quite the talented collection, but Gruden apparently believes Waller is the most talented of the group.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden experienced a roller coaster of emotions toward the end of his team's 33-27 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

"I felt like I died and woke up and died again," Gruden told reporters after the game. "I was like a cat with multiple lives."

"I felt like I died and woke up ... and died again. I was like a cat, I had multiple lives tonight."

Jon Gruden on the crazy ending to the Raiders-Ravens game 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/6SOO207S1s

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 14, 2021

First, there was the anxiety of awaiting Daniel Carlson's 55-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

Then, Gruden watched Bryan Edwards haul in a 33-yard pass originally thought to be the deciding touchdown, only for replays to show Edwards was down before the ball crossed the goal line.

The Raiders did their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory three plays later after Derek Carr's pass for Willie Snead IV was intercepted in the end zone by Anthony Averett.

THE RAVENS PICK IT IN THE END ZONE.

THIS GAME.

📺: #BALvsLV on ESPN/ABC
📱: https://t.co/NS3IxESidh pic.twitter.com/izLMFdLfJM

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2021

The tables turned back in Las Vegas' favor with Lamar Jackson's fumble.

This time around, Gruden wasn't taking any chances as he brought on the kicking team on 2nd-and-9 from the Ravens' 26-yard line. He had to reverse course because of a delay-of-game penalty, and that proved fortuitous as Carr hit Zay Jones to seal the victory anyway.

As a neutral observer, it was gripping television.

The last five minutes of that game were like watching two people who have never seen football before play Madden

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) September 14, 2021

The end of the fourth quarter and overtime were probably less enjoyable for any fans of the Ravens and Raiders. And imagine the stress Gruden and his coaching colleagues must have experienced with each unexpected twist.

In terms of pure drama, Baltimore and Las Vegas set a high bar for the rest of the season.

Life isn't always fair in the NFL, which explains why Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock sits on the hot seat while Jon Gruden's chair feels as cool as the other side of the pillow going into a crucial season.

Gruden is protected by the Raiders' chain of command. He's at the top of the food chain. When Mayock took the front-office job in December 2018, he told ESPN's Steve Levy that his head coach would have the final stamp on roster decisions but that they would have spirited discussions.

"In all honesty, Jon's got final say, if it ever comes to that, and I've got zero problems with that," Mayock said. "Now, having said that, I think we're going to come to a consensus and I like a little yelling, a little screaming, a little fighting for what player you believe in."

Nonetheless, Mayock would likely have to take the majority of the blame if the Raiders trend in the wrong direction. Why? Gruden's 10-year, $100 million contract signed in January 2018 says so.

Over the last two years, Vegas has whiffed on several roster moves, including big-money free-agent signings, trades and high draft picks.

During the 2019 offseason, the Raiders acquired Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third- and a fifth-round draft pick. After a summer of drama, they released him before he could play a regular-season snap. Mayock accepted fault for that failed experiment.

In the same offseason, Vegas made offensive tackle Trent Brown the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history at four years, $66 million with $36.74 million fully guaranteed. Though he earned a 2019 Pro Bowl nod, he missed half the games in two years with the club.

According to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, people at the team facility believe Brown weighed 400 pounds during the 2020 campaign—up from 380 pounds. The Raiders traded him and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots in March for a 2022 fifth-round pick.

In 2019, Vegas signed safety Lamarcus Joyner to a four-year, $42 million contract, but he struggled as a slot cornerback. He called his role with the team a "misfit" but embraced it as his "natural position" while playing for the Silver and Black.

Lately, the Raiders have taken criticism for draft whiffs and miscalculations.

On Monday, Vegas waived 2020 third-rounder Tanner Muse, which drew ire from the fanbase. The Clemson product will join the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. He'll also go down as a reach under the Mayock-Gruden regime, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Take a look at the Raiders' past two drafts and the projected roles of players they selected in the first three rounds. Remember, Vegas traded edge-rusher Khalil Mack for picks that turned into Josh Jacobs, Damon Arnette and Bryan Edwards. The club also traded wideout Amari Cooper for a first-rounder that became Johnathan Abram.

Mack and Cooper have combined for five Pro Bowls and an All-Pro season since those deals.

2019

• 1st round, 4th overall: DE Clelin Ferrell (backup)
• 1st round, 24th overall: RB Josh Jacobs (Pro Bowl starter)
• 1st round, 27th overall: S Johnathan Abram (starter)
• 2nd round, 40th overall: CB Trayvon Mullen (starter)

2020

• 1st round, 12th overall: WR Henry Ruggs III (starter)
• 1st round, 19th overall: CB Damon Arnette (backup)
• 3rd round, 80th overall: WR Lynn Bowden Jr. (traded in 2020)
• 3rd round, 81st overall: WR Bryan Edwards (starter)
• 3rd round: 100th overall: LB Tanner Muse (waived Monday)

This offseason, the Raiders signed defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. Both will start, which tells you what they thought about Ferrell and Arnette in key roles.

Although Abram will start, he's under pressure with rookie fourth-rounder Tyree Gillespie behind him on the depth chart. Rookie third-rounder Divine Deablo can also play strong safety in addition to linebacker.

Ruggs and Edwards have a lot to prove after they had underwhelming rookie campaigns. As the top wide receiver selected in the 2020 class, the former caught 26 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns. The latter only hauled in 11 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown.

For the most part, Mullen has looked solid on the boundary, but he had some lapses in coverage last year, allowing five touchdowns and a 62.1 percent completion rate.

Though edge-rusher Maxx Crosby and wideout Hunter Renfrow have exceeded expectations as Day 3 selections, the Raiders haven't translated recent premium draft capital into much production.

Between the last two drafts, among nine selections in the top 100, Jacobs is the only high-end contributor and Pro Bowl-caliber player.

For Mayock, who became a well-respected draft analyst on NFL Network, this looks terrible on paper, which begs the question: How much influence does he have over these selections with Gruden in the room?

Regardless, Mayock feels the pressure. He talked about his 2021 playoff expectations with reporters last week:

"I think Jon and I would both tell you that we feel like we need to be a playoff team this year. And I don't think there's any doubt about that. And you guys are all going to put that in your headlines and I understand it. But that's what the expectation is. We think we've done the infrastructure work necessary to put us in position. We've got to take care of business."

When NBC Sports' Peter King asked Gruden about his 19-29 record since 2018, he chose to talk about the Raiders' recent progress and why the team came up short down the stretch over the last two seasons:

"We had, I think, 20 new starters my first year. Our second year, we got off to a pretty good start. We lost our right tackle. We lost our right guard. We lost our featured back down the stretch. ... Got off to a good start last year. Decimated at times because of [COVID-19]. We had a tough schedule. But we were in the playoff hunt last couple years until the latter part of the season. I think we are improving. But I don't like to lose. I don't like hearing 19-29. I do like the feeling of progress."

According to King, owner Mark Davis hasn't placed a "win-now mandate" on Gruden, but he's unsure about Mayock's status.

Tafur provided the most telling comment in a mailbag response.

"If Gruden's seat ever gets warm, he just chucks it out the window and gets another one," Tafur wrote. "There are a couple of scapegoats already lined up for next season if the Raiders don't improve on 8-8."

Since Gruden's return, the Raiders have fired a general manager (Reggie McKenzie in 2018) and a defensive coordinator (Paul Guenther in 2020). Because of the underwhelming return from the top of recent draft classes, Mayock would likely take the fall for a disappointing 2021 season. Don't expect Gruden to excuse himself with seven years left on his contract and enough power to pass the buck on to someone else.

       

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.

The Las Vegas Raiders have added wide receiver David Moore to their practice squad after the Carolina Panthers released the 26-year-old Wednesday, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Moore played four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before signing a two-year, $4.8 million contract with the Panthers in free agency in March.

However, as Darin Gantt of the team website noted, Moore fell down the depth chart as rookie Terrace Marshall Jr. emerged this offseason. The team also has DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Brandon Zylstra and Shi Smith at the position.

Moore caught 35 passes for 417 yards and six touchdowns as the Seahawks' No. 3 wideout last year. The dependable East Central University product caught 74.5 percent of his 47 targets.

For his career, Moore has 78 catches for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns in 47 games.

The Raiders list Henry Ruggs III, Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards as their starters at wide receiver.

Zay Jones and Willie Snead IV are the top two backups. John Brown was also a Raider until he was granted a release upon his request Tuesday.

DJ Turner and Dillon Stoner are the two practice squad wideouts.

Seattle selected Moore with a seventh-round pick in the 2017 draft.

He will provide excellent depth in case of injury and could be a big-play threat if called upon. Moore notably averaged 17.3 yards per reception from 2018-2019.