Derek Carr survivor of massive Raiders roster changes throughout years

Three drafts and free agency periods have come and gone under Raiders coach Jon Gruden, and while there have been massive changes across the roster and two blockbuster trades involving foundational players, the survivor of all that upheaval is none other than quarterback Derek Carr.

As it turns out, Gruden’s hiring three years ago hasn’t signaled the end of Carr’s stay with the Raiders, as so many had predicted. Rather, it has led to an ambitious effort to rebuild the infrastructure around him.

That job, for all intents and purposes, is complete. As Carr heads into his seventh season, he has the necessary pieces around him to oversee an offense without restriction.

When completely healthy last year, the offensive line graded out among the top 15 in the NFL. Darren Waller is a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end. Hunter Renfrow is a productive and reliable receiver out of the slot. Assuming his feet are healthy, Tyrell Williams is a capable No. 2 receiving threat.

Josh Jacobs is one of the best young running backs in the NFL. And in speedy rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs, Carr finally has a weapon capable of taking the top of a defense and creating separation for himself while expanding the room that others have to operate.

Rookies Lynn Bowden and Bryan Edwards and veteran Nelson Agholor add depth and more versatility.

Carr threw for 4,054 yards last year, eighth most in the NFL. But his 21 touchdowns were tied for 19th and his 6.5 yards per pass attempt was among the lowest in the NFL. Part of the problem was not having more speed and explosiveness at wide receiver.

That is no longer the case.

No surprise, then, that Carr was periodically reaching out to general manager Mike Mayock during the draft giving him the thumbs up.

“ It started with (the Ruggs pick,” Mayock said. “(Derek) doesn’t know who we’re picking. I got about five texts with ‘W-O-W-!’. He was just fired up with that pick. Then we get Edwards and Bowden, I don’t even know how to make emojis. I was just looking at all these emojis like ‘I guess he’s happy, that looks good.’ Bottom line … what we’re trying to do is get more dynamic on offense, and I think that’s what Derek recognizes as well.”

Between the last two drafts and free agency periods, the Raiders essentially completely turned over their defense. And the recent upgrades at linebacker, defensive line and safety put them in a much better position to keep games closer and give the offense more opportunities to score.

On paper, this is as good a team as Carr has played on since arriving in the NFL in 2014. As a result, for the first time in his career he can be fairly judged.

The grading criteria is fairly straightforward.

Carr will be graded on the offense’s ability to push its per-game scoring average from the 19.6 they averaged last year to the mid 20s, at least, and on the team increasing its win total from the seven they achieved last season to nine or 10 this season.

If those goals are met, it will plant the Raiders firmly in the playoff picture and leave little doubt that Carr is Gruden’s unquestioned quarterback.

The Raiders added experience to their quarterback room with the free agent addition of Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Tennessee Titans. Mariota had an up-and-down five years with the Titans, and his development was stunted by constant coaching changes and injuries. The Raiders offer him a chance to get back on the right track. In turn, he gives them coverage in the event Carr gets hurt.

Nathan Peterman, who missed all of last season with an elbow injury, is still on the roster and will compete for a reserve role.

Notes

The Raiders have officially announced the signings of veteran tackle Sam Young and linebacker Justin Phillips as well as undrafted free agent tackle Kamaal Seymour from Rutgers.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.