How the Raiders Must Approach the Trade Deadline

"The Raiders remain stuck at the bottom of a brutally difficult division, and like Cleveland and Miami, they need to position themselves for a franchise quarterback next April. While they could look to move on from interior lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson, another option would be trading receiver Jakobi Meyers", said Liskiewitz.

While I do believe the Raiders should be trying to trade away as many players as they can for assets in return, I don't think the focus should be on taking a quarterback in the draft. This team has so much more work to do before it can draft a rookie quarterback and expect to compete.

Nevertheless, moving off of Meyers is a move the Raiders must make. They're clearly going in a different direction by drafting Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr.; there's no point in extending Meyers if they already have the playmakers of the future on their roster.

"Meyers is due for a new contract after the season, and the Raiders already have a deep, youthful receiver group. As a result, his production has dipped this year, but in 2024, he recorded 28 explosive plays on 87 catches — without a single drop".

Powers-Johnson was once a promising guard prospect who had a great rookie season with the Raiders. However, once Pete Carroll arrived, he hasn't been the same player. He isn't getting sufficient playing time, but whenever he does, the film doesn't look promising either.

It's frustrating for a team with so obvious offensive line needs to trade away a young offensive lineman, but they may fetch a high price for him if they put him on the trade market. Another team may bite on his potential in exchange for a valuable draft pick.