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Why the Jaguars' Roster Shakeup Impacts the Raiders
Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll stands on the sidelines against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders know all too well how much losing a valuable player can derail a game, or even a season.

Huge Loss

Las Vegas returns from their Bye Week expecting several players to return from injury. The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be on the opposite end of things, as they will be without Travis Hunter.

Earlier this week, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly noted how special of a player Hunter is.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Travis [Hunter]is a special player. I got a chance when I was at UCLA to play against him at Colorado, and I think he played every snap on offense and defense in the game and had an interception, was catching balls. He's truly a unicorn when it comes to that. I think his competitive stamina, that's the one thing I always kind of marvel at, because this league is tough and every play counts in this league,” Kelly said.

 And if you're running 60 plays on offense, it's taking everything you have to run those 60 plays on offense, and then you flip around and you've got to play defense. Usually, when you're done, you drive down the field and score a touchdown, you get a chance to go sit on the bench and go over what just happened, look at the iPad, talk about what our next operation is going to be, and where we're going to get the ball, and what that's going to look like. Well, if you're out on the field, that's difficult. So, I've always kind of marveled at what he can do. I know a lot of people doubt him. I've seen him in person, I don't doubt him. He's a heck of a football player, and it's impressive what he's doing right now."

Although the Jaguars will be without one of their best players on both sides of the ball, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted that Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen will still have his team prepared. Las Vegas must be prepared as well.

"He's got all of the good stuff that's going around the league. The tree that he comes from is really the one that I respect the most in terms of innovation and creativity and really good fundamental aspects with their offense. He's representing all those guys. So, it's a big offense,” Carroll said. 

“They do a lot of stuff. You can't just zero in on this or that. They love to run the football. They're willing to stay with it when they can. Their play-action game is good. Their premier stuff off the running game is there, and they really trust the quarterback. They have a lot of downfield routes and concepts that call for a big arm, and fortunately for them, Trevor's [Lawrence] got it."


This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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