The Raiders have built a very top-heavy roster and they have done so on purpose. They want their stars to shine bright and carry the rest of the young roster. But which player is the most important for the Raiders going into the 2024 season?
Vic Tafur of The Athletic tried to answer that question this week, and it is a difficult one. Maxx Crosby is one of the best defensive players in the world, but Davante Adams is almost the entire offense for Las Vegas.
Tafur went with Adams given his role on offense and how much the Raiders need him to dominate in order to have success on that side of the ball. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the Crosby vs. Adams discussion:
The obvious answer would have been Maxx Crosby. The defensive end has been the team’s MVP the last three seasons, even beating out league-leading rusher Josh Jacobs in 2022, and he somehow gets better every year. This offseason, the Raiders gave defensive tackle Christian Wilkins $83 million to take some double-teams off of Crosby.
But … we’re going with Adams in what is essentially a contract year for him. He will have to carry the offense with quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew scaring no one and Jacobs playing for the Packers now. Adams is still the best route runner in the league, and the Raiders may have enough weapons where he can’t be double-teamed.
There is certainly no right answer here as the Raiders need both Crosby and Adams to dominate in order for them to have a chance this season. It would be terrifying to think what the offense might look like without Adams, but the same could be said for Crosby on defense. Both players are fantastic and primed for huge years once again.
