Raiders mailbag: Are coaching changes on horizon if team doesn’t improve?

The Raiders will look to stop a three-game losing streak when they host the Cowboys on “Monday Night Football” at Allegiant Stadium.

The team’s 2-7 start to the season has fallen well short of expectations. As a result, fans have plenty of questions.

Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:

AZ_Raider75 (@AZRaider75): With another year of poor offensive play, is there a chance (coach) Pete Carroll will encourage his son Brennan to seek employment elsewhere to bring in new offensive line coaching leadership?

Bonsignore: The Raiders’ offensive line remains an ongoing issue. So much so that Brennan Carroll is the team’s third offensive line coach in three years.

Clearly, changing coaches hasn’t fixed the problem. It might have made it worse since the linemen have had to learn new techniques and schemes.

The Raiders need to add more talent up front and give younger players like right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, right tackle DJ Glaze and rookies Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant time to develop.

Manny (@Manflo619): Is (quarterback) Geno Smith one-and-done?

Bonsignore: That depends on a lot of things.

Does Smith play well the Raiders’ final eight games? Is the team able to add one of the top college quarterbacks in the draft?

Smith, in an ideal world, cuts down on his turnovers — his 12 interceptions are the second-most in the NFL — and plays solid football the rest of the season. That at least opens up the possibility of him serving as a bridge quarterback for one more year before handing the reigns over to a younger prospect.

If he continues to struggle, the Raiders will need to look at other options.

VanCityRaider89 (@VanCityRaider89): Every passing week, I grow more and more apathetic of this team. It’s tiring. In your opinion how does this team start turning the corner into winning more than six games in two seasons? Is there a power struggle within the building? Does (general manager) John Spytek have control?

Bonsignore: The Raiders won’t win until they upgrade several positions on their roster and stop shooting themselves in the foot. They lack talent and a winning mentality right now.

Spytek and Carroll are trying to address those issues, but it may take time.

Ron_Swanson (@InMyUncEra): Any chance that Spytek gets more power to build the roster in his vision this offseason? He’s given Pete everything he wanted.

Bonsignore: The Raiders used free agency to plug immediate holes on their roster and used the draft to attack long-term needs. That’s one sign there was balance between Carroll’s short-term goals and Spytek’s longer-term vision.

Some of the young players the Raiders picked up should get more playing time as the year continues. The team should continue to skew younger in the offseason.

Dan (@Dan905): Let’s say the Raiders win one more game. Do you think this staff gets fired?

Bonsignore: At some point, the Raiders need to stop being active participants in the coaching carousel. They’re on their fourth full-time coach — not counting interim coach Rich Bisaccia in 2021 — since moving to Las Vegas.

They have to stop churning through leaders and give a regime enough time to build a sustainable foundation.

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