Will Raiders Be Better on Offense or Defense in 2025?

The Las Vegas Raiders will be one of the most intriguing teams to follow entering the 2025 season. 

Many have found it difficult to get a grip on what the Raiders will look like this season. The team has a 73-year-old head coach in Pete Carroll, who spent a year away from coaching but has a historic resume. 

Las Vegas won four games last year, but much of that can be credited to the lack of consistency at quarterback and injuries on the defensive line. 

New General Manager John Spytek worked hard this offseason to improve the roster and make the team much more competitive in the AFC, making moves on both sides of the ball. 

He helped build a division winner with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is looking to do the same in Las Vegas. 

But which side of the ball improved more this offseason, leading to better on-field results? 

Let’s make the case for both the offense and defense being the more improved unit. 

On offense, the Raiders’ biggest improvement came when they traded for quarterback Geno Smith. Fans have grown tired of seeing bad quarterbacks play since Derek Carr left the team, and Smith has given them the chance to have an offensive floor for the first time in a few years. 

Along with adding Smith, the Raiders drafted explosive running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Las Vegas’ run game was the worst in the NFL last season, so adding Jeanty should elevate an important part of the Raiders’ offensive game. 

New Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly is coming off a national championship at Ohio State, looking to bring a winning pedigree to a team that has struggled offensively in the last few seasons.

This team should look much more competent on that side of the ball this season. 

On defense, having several defensive linemen return healthy may matter more than any free-agent addition. However, the loss of several key free agents will matter more than fans realize. 

Robert Spillane, Nate Hobbs, Divine Deablo, Tre’von Moehrig, and Marcus Epps will all be playing for new teams in 2025. Those five were serious contributors in the last few seasons. 

Las Vegas peppered over those spots by adding players like Elandon Roberts, Germaine Pratt, Eric Stokes, and Jeremy Chinn, but it is tough to say if any of those players will be definitive upgrades. 

At best, there is a chance that the Raiders made lateral moves on defense. 

For that reason, it is hard not to give the edge to the offense. The Raiders will score many more points next season and will have to hope the defense can hold up long enough.