James Cregg to Join Raiders as New OL Coach
On its staff, the Las Vegas Raiders have added a new coach. James Cregg is anticipated to become the next offensive line coach in Las Vegas.To ensure that every coach on the Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff wants to be in Las Vegas, the team makes one or two moves per week. The Raiders worked hard to find veteran coach James Cregg as the offensive line coach after losing former coach Carmen Bricillo to the New York Giants.
Coach Antonio Pierce has selected coaches with a variety of coaching experiences for his staff in nearly all of his hirings. All of the coaches the Raiders have appointed thus far, though, have one thing in common: they are all extremely accomplished coaches.
Cregg was chosen by the Raiders to become their next offensive line coach. Bricillo, who led the Raiders’ offensive line to two straight seasons of strong play, will be replaced by Cregg. For Cregg, who started his NFL coaching career in 2007 as an assistant offensive line coach with the Oakland Raiders, this will be his first time back in the position. He spent two seasons with the Raiders during his initial tenure.
When Cregg was a member of the Raiders, he worked under former coach Lane Kiffin. Cregg accompanied Kiffin to his next two destinations, the University of Tennessee and the University of Southern California, after he and the Raiders split ways. Cregg would coach the offensive line for the team both times.
After that, Cregg would make a comeback to the NFL as a coach for the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos, respectively. Cregg would return to college football after making his way back to the professional ranks. This time, Cregg would join Louisiana State University as an offensive line coach. In addition, he would coordinate the team’s run game. He spent two seasons in each position and helped the squad win a national championship in 2019. The LSU offensive line took home the Joe Moore trophy for the 2019 campaign. The college football team with the best offensive line in the nation wins this award.
Cregg is moving to Las Vegas, where his offensive line for the upcoming season may be almost completely different. The Raiders’ prospects of winning the following season will depend greatly on how he responds to that scenario.
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The Raiders were 3–5 and not playing very inspiring football when Pierce took over. They had a 5-4 season finale under his leadership.
They succeeded because of a resurgent defense that was far superior at the conclusion of the season than it had been at the start.
The growth was considerably more incremental on offense. The Raiders’ offense trailed far behind at No. 27 in defensive DVOA, finishing seventh.The Raiders have a chance to be a threat if they can maintain their defensive trend. They might have a fantastic first full season under Pierce if they can just get the offense to climb to the middle of the pack.
To witness that kind of progress, the following three factors will be crucial.The potential of an NFL offense is limited by the quarterback. Of course, there are other considerations as well, but in the end, the quarterback position is the most potent in sports.
The Raiders do not yet possess the solution. While Aidan O’Connell performed admirably as a fourth-round rookie last season, he essentially demonstrated his potential as a reliable backup.
As the starter, he finished 5–5, tied for 25th in total QBR, and 28th in EPA. Put another way, he wasn’t doing so badly at quarterback that the Raiders couldn’t win, but he also wasn’t helping them win games.
Jimmy Garoppolo looks like he won’t be involved. When Antonio turned to O’Connell, theyIt’s encouraging to hear that Pierce intends to “get aggressive” in his pursuit of a new quarterback since it indicates that they recognize that improving the position is necessary before moving forward offensively.
But there will undoubtedly be difficulties in doing it. The Raiders are not in a terrific position to choose one of the best prospects with the 13th pick. Unless the organization is prepared to forfeit a sizable amount of selections and assets in order to move up to the top two picks, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams are most likely off the boardIt might be challenging to even acquire Jayden Daniels given that the Patriots choose him with the third overall pick in the most recent B/R mock draft.
There is also a small free agency class. Russell Wilson might be a possibility if the Broncos release him, but right now, Kirk Cousins, who just recovered from an Achilles tear, and Baker Mayfield might want to stay in Tampa.
In addition to being unable to act desperately, the Raiders cannot start O’Connell in 2024.It’s possible that the Raiders will need to use a bridge quarterback for one season. Perhaps the only viable candidate to challenge O’Connell for the starting position is a talent like Gardner Minshew or Jameis Winston.
In that scenario, the Raiders must concentrate on setting up the ideal environment for a quarterback to succeed.
They have an ample supply of offensive weaponry already. They have one of the top receivers in the game in Davante Adams, a solid No. 2 in Jakobi Meyers, and a promising young tight end in Michael Mayer, even if Josh Jacobs goes in free agency.
All of it, though, won’t matter if the offensive line is incapable of producing strong performance. The Raiders’ blocking was underappreciated.lacked effectiveness as a run-blocking unit. Prior to contact, their running yard totals were tied for 29th place (2.1).
Next season, the unit will undoubtedly look different. Though they were all starters the previous season, center Andre James, right guard Greg Van Roten, and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will all be free agents.
Van Roten’s 34th birthday is in a few days, so it might be dangerous to count on him to pick things up again.
The Raiders need to make the right choices on the offensive line because they won’t likely have the quarterback position fully figured out by the following season.The Raiders ranked 12th in terms of total yards and scoring offensively in 2022. They placed 27th in yards and 23rd in scoring in 2023.
Although losing Derek Carr at quarterback was painful, the Raiders’ running game improved the year before as well. With an average of 4.8 yards per run, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs led the league in rushing.
This season, Jacobs only managed 805 yards on the ground in 13 games as that number fell to 3.7.The Raiders’ run game wasn’t very inventive, which wasn’t helping either of the many causes that contributed to the decline in production. Despite ranking 28th in EPA per play while running zone and fourth in EPA per play when using gap schemes, the Raiders were ninth in zone run rate and avoided using gap run schemes, according to 33rd Team.
The Raiders would have a better chance of running the ball more consistently if their running game was more diverse. It would also force defenses to account for a strong running offense, which would assist propel whoever quarterback is starting in 2024.
It’s also important to remember that the Raiders finished 13th in EPA but 23rd in play-action percentageTaking constant straight losses is not a winning tactic.
The good news is that the offensive scheme will likely change with Luke Getsy taking over as offensive coordinator. The Bears employed play-action at the ninth-highest percentage in the NFL last season and were a strong running club.
By doing so, the Raiders should be able to develop a more reliable offense that will support their defense and help them win more games in 2024..
