Oakland Raiders: 5 burning questions in 2018

4. Will the “veteran” acquisitions pay off?

A reoccurring theme from this offseason has been the media’s infatuation with ripping the Raiders for their free agent signings. Terms such as “too old” or “washed up” have appeared many times, and surely that won’t die out anytime soon. Unfortunately, this concept that the Raiders are going to be fragile and slow because they are all over 30 has caught on.

Frankly, that is lazy journalism and those who continue to perpetuate it need to read up on the team before making such accusations. Of the 90 players on the current roster, only 15 are 30 or older. Of those 15, four are 30, three are 31, and two each are 32, 33, 34, and 35. To actually believe that the majority of these guys will play major roles on the field in 2018 is foolish.

Let’s look at newcomers over the age of 30, excluding incumbent players from last season. Jordy Nelson is 33 and coming off of a career worst season. Breno Giacomini is 32, but with two new tackles being drafted it is unlikely he plays much. Shareece Wright and Leon hall are 31 and 33 respectively, but are merely depth pieces. At 35 Derrick Johnson is the biggest question mark of the bunch. That’s only five guys, and only two of them will feature much.

The majority of these signings have been to create competition, help teach the new system, and for the leadership qualities that veteran players accumulate through experience. Only a few of these “old” players will be expected to truly contribute come the beginning of the season. Whether that alone makes them bad additions can be debated, but the value of these signings isn’t what they can do on the field, it’s what they provide off of it. Only time will tell whether this plan will work out.