With the season now just days away, the Raiders recently announced who will wear the captain badges for the team. The official Raiders Twitter sent out the news, and it’s an interesting mix to say the least.
The two most familiar faces are obviously quarterback Derek Carr and center Rodney Hudson. These two are the most important players on the Raiders offense and have been for the last four years. The offense will only go as far as Carr can take them in 2020, and for Hudson, he’s the glue that holds it all together. Raider Nation probably didn’t see any surprises with these two.
Two of the most important free agent additions for the Raiders this year were Maliek Collins and Nick Kwiatkoski. Collins is reuniting with his former defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli, and will look to dominate the trenches. Kwiatkoski, along with Cory Littleton, were the much heralded acquisitions that all of Raider Nation’s eager to see. Kwiatkoski will be responsible for the green dot in Paul Guenther’s defense this year, and he’ll be the leader right out of the gate. A lot will ride on how these two perform in 2020 so making them captains only seems fitting.
Rounding out the rest of the selections are linebacker Kyle Wilber and defensive back Erik Harris, who performed gallantly when called upon last season, especially against the Los Angeles Chargers. He will be the veteran presence in the backfield. In a unit that has so much young and inexperienced talent, Harris will be counted on as the elder statesmen. The final captain selection, Wilber, has been a special teams specialist since 2018, obviously one of special teams coach Rich Bisaccia’s favorites.
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