Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) walks away from head coach Pete Carroll in a game against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Why the Raiders Are Finally Embracing Change

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-9 and the signs of peril were there early. The moment Brock Bowers started limping against the New England Patriots in Week 1, this season started to go downhill. A clearly not healthy Bowers was the first of many injuries to derail Las Vegas' offense.

Injuries to Jackson Powers-Johnson and Kolton Miller, the Raiders' two best offensive linemen just weeks after Bowers' injury quickly made things worse. The Raiders coaches and players all said the right thing but there was no denying what was happening on the field every Sunday.

Raiders Move Forward

The Raiders tried the best they could to make things happen without some of their best players on offense. However, injuries, and poor coaching led to poor performances along an offensive line that was serviceable last season.

It was too much for Chip Kelly to workaround, forcing the Raiders to move on. Raiders quarterback Geno Smith will now be guided by Greg Olson, who will now call the plays. Earlier this week, Smith explained what he anticipates between he and Olson.

"Yeah, the repetition that we get this week is going to be vital. The more I can hear him calling the plays in my head, the more we can communicate on the sideline, and it'll be different than what we've been doing because he's now going from quarterback coach to play caller, so there's going to be some different dynamics, but those are things we'll work through, as time goes on, we'll get better at," Smith said.

The Raiders have already played over half of the season. Considering their roster issues along the offensive line, it would be unreasonable to expect them to make a lot of changes. Still, letting Olson, or anyone else call the plays could have a positive impact. It is at least worth a try.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Wendesday, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith explained as much. Las Vegas needs to make changes. However, they must take a reasonable approach to how much they try to change in a week between games. The Raiders finding calls they can execute with the talent they have would go a long way.

"You try not to change too much. I mean, we've went through an entire season, entire offseason, of repping a lot of these plays and having the same terminology,” Smith said.

“So, there's things that you want to keep the same, but there's also going to be differences as well. It's a different coordinator, so he's going to have a different style. But overall, like I said, man, it's still about execution no matter what play is called."