No one in the Raiders’ organization will be satisfied with an 8-8 season, especially after starting the 6-3 season with wins over two of the best teams in the league.
The off-season will be one of introspection, as the front office tries to determine which players will form part of the base on which they wish to build and which are expendable.
Here is a look at some of the positive developments and some of the negative developments in a wild 2020 season:
Positives
Darren Waller
The tight end followed the 2019 campaign with an even better 2020 to establish itself as a legitimate NFL star.
This consistency should give Raiders optimism about Waller being among the upper echelons of tight ends for years to come.
Derek Carr
Remember all the questions about whether Carr would be replaced before the 2020 season?
The seven-year veteran responded to all of them with one of his best seasons, further strengthening his mastery of work.
Gruden is notoriously fickle with his quarterbacks, so this is subject to change at any time. But for now, Carr is as firmly entrenched as he has been for some time.
Clelin Ferrell
The former choice of the first round took a step forward in its second season.
While sack numbers have yet to arrive, Ferrell was the 17th ranked defender in the league among 115 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus, after finishing 76th out of 104 as a rookie.
Daniel Carlson
The kicker was 33 out of 35 in field goals and 45 out of 47 in extra points to break the franchise record in a season with 144 points.
Coaches love it when they don’t have to deal with their kicker’s volatility.
Nelson Agholor
The signing of the free agent was largely an afterthought with Raiders so invested in pass-catchers, but Agholor was a revelation.
He had a career record in yards and matched a career record with eight touchdowns, posting a remarkable 18.7 yards per reception.
The only problem for the Raiders is that it has become much more expensive to stay around.
Negatives
Young secondary
The Raiders have injected a little talent into their secondary in recent seasons. They are still waiting for the return on investment.
The players chosen in the first round, Johnathan Abram and Damon Arnette, struggled to stay on the pitch and suffered many ups and downs when they were there.
Trayvon Mullen showed the potential to be a very good cornerback, but he needs to be more consistent and can only play in one position.
Novice receivers
The 2020 NFL draft was filled with extremely talented recipients who have already made significant contributions to the league.
Gruden and Mike Mayock chose any of them and chose Henry Ruggs, who posted the number of pedestrians in his debut campaign. Bryan Edwards looked like a stallion on the training ground, only to have his debut year deflected by injury and inconsistency.
Both are very talented. Ruggs made an impact by opening the field to his teammates, but the Raiders need more production from them.
Racing game
The overall figures do not look terrible, but a closer look reveals a worrying trend.
Running back Josh Jacobs dropped from 4.8 yards per load as a rookie to just 3.9 this season. Part of this can be attributed to a damaged offensive line and Jacobs is never 100 percent. But he averaged exactly 1.9 yards before contacting each of his two seasons. Jacobs dropped from 2.8 yards per transport after contact to 2.0 this season.
Pass rush
The Raiders finished 29th in the league with just 21 sacks. This lack of pressure on opposing defenders also contributed to the team finishing 30th with just 15 takeaways, including none in the last four games.
They absolutely need to find a way to get to the quarterback.
Record Carlson Points
He had a great season and everything, but the Raiders would like to see him on the pitch significantly less next season. Some of these field moves need to turn into touchdowns for Raiders to take the next step.
Hunter Renfrow said he told Carlson that the only record they want him to set next season is converted points.
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on twitter.