Las Vegas Raiders: 5 free agents to sign in order to win in 2020

Las Vegas Raiders sign Cam Newton

Look at the quarterback room in Las Vegas. There is Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota and Nathan Peterman.

For starters or benchwarmers, Peterman should not even be on the Raiders roster. He’s the guy who threw five picks during his NFL debut. And Mariota ultimately lost his job to Ryan Tannehill who, with the same weapons, began looking like a Pro Bowl quarterback in Tennessee. Beforehand, Mariota couldn’t help the offense crack the 20-point mark when he started in 2019. And Carr is Carr. While the Raiders can win with him, why should they settle when they have a chance to upgrade.

Cam Newton is a star in this league. With Newton still fishing for a team, the Raiders could get him for a salary cap friendly rate. If Newton can match what he was the first half of 2018 before suffering a shoulder injury, he can be elite in the Raiders offense. Gruden would finally have an elite passer where he could unleash his offensive genius.

In Newton’s MVP season his top receivers were his tight end Greg Olsen and wide receiver Tedd Ginn Jr. In Las Vegas, they have a tight end nearly just as explosive as Olsen in Waller. They also have a solid receiving core including a speedy receiver in Ruggs III, who can be a better version of 2015’s Ginn Jr. One who can beat his man in one-on-one coverage for a Newton bomb to the end ozone. With an offensive line probably better than what Newton has ever had in Carolina, Las Vegas has a setup where Newton can be successful.

With Newton the one concern is his health. Workout videos on Newton’s social media sure make it seem like he is healthy. And if for some reason he’s not, then the Raiders have Carr and Mariotta in the wings to step in. But if Newton is healthy, the Raiders sure look like a threat who can make a deep postseason run with an MVP caliber quarterback at the helm.